ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION
by Micki Skye
Summary: Vader survives Palpatine’s lightning attack on the Death Star. He is rescued by Luke and then faces the difficult task of rebuilding a life as Anakin Skywalker. Not everyone is ready to forgive and forget, and moving on is not as easy as it seems.
1. Chapter 1: Redemption

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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TITLE: Anakin's Redemption

AUTHOR: Micki Skywalker

RATING: PG/K+

EMAIL: Action, Drama, Romance

SETTING: Alternate Ending to Return Of The Jedi

CHARACTERS: Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2, 3PO

DESCRIPTION: Vader survives Palpatine's lightning attack on the Death Star. He is rescued by Luke and then faces the difficult task of rebuilding a life as Anakin Skywalker. Not everyone is ready to forgive and forget, and moving on is not as easy as it seems. Will he ever make peace with the atrocities he committed as Vader? And how will he put his family back together?

NOTE: I'm sorry to say that another author stole most of the plot of this story from another site and rewrote it under their own name, soif this story seems familiar please note that I originally wrote this more than a year ago! For those of you who have read this before, I've added some new chapters and made a few changes to try to compensate if you read the plagiarized story before this.

To the thief: You suck! Get your own story!

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Chapter One - Redemption

"The Emperor has been expecting you," Vader greeted his son.

"I know, father," came the response.

Vader was a little startled. "So, you have accepted the truth."

"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father," he answered.

Hearing his old name shocked him. "That name no longer has any meaning for me."

"It is the name of your true self," said Luke. "You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That is why you couldn't destroy me. That's why you won't bring me to your Emperor now."

Vader looked down from Luke to the lightsaber in his own gloved hand. He was curious. How did this boy know him so well, when they'd only met once before. He didn't know how to answer, and turned his attentions to his lightsaber instead. "I see you have constructed a new lightsaber," he said, igniting it. He was pleased with the construction.  
"Your skills are complete," he told his son. "Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen." Vader swelled with pride at his son's accomplishments.

They stood for a moment, then Vader extinguished the lightsaber.  
Luke tried to reach him. "Come with me," he implored.  
Vader looked at him curiously. "Obi-Wan once thought as you do," he replied. Luke took a step towards him then stopped. "You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master." How would Luke ever understand?  
"I will not turn...and you'll be forced to kill me," challenged Luke.  
Vader considered that. "If that is your destiny."  
Luke made another attempt to reach the man inside Vader. "Search your feelings, father. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate!"  
Vader looked at him helplessly. "It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."

Vader signaled to the stormtroopers. He and Luke stared at eachh another for a long moment.

"Then my father is truly dead." Luke turned and walked into the chamber.

The words cut Anakin more than Luke would ever know. But through his mask no emotion showed. Anakin felt such conflict, just as Luke sensed, between his life of darkness, and now this new choice, a choice to return to the light. Since Padme died, there was no reason to return to the light. What for? There was nothing good in his life. And the Emperor would never let him escape. As Darth Vader he was powerful and respected. He could do what he wanted…as long as the Emperor let him. Anakin knew that if he was honest with himself, he was nothing more than Palpatine's slave. A high class slave maybe, but a slave none the less. He did Palpatine's bidding, with no hope of ever being free. A Sith Apprentice was supposed to grow in power until he eventually conquered and destroyed his Master. But Anakin was weak, a limbless burn victim trapped in a suit. He could still use the Force, but nowhere close to the abilities he had before Obi-Wan had destroyed them. His pitiful ability to force choke would be useless against the Emperor. He had no hope.

Until now…the unexpected discovery of his son shed a new light on things. Not only did Anakin now have a reason to turn back, young Luke had the abilities and power to defeat Palpatine. Or so Anakin hoped. He would have to see. Luke was indeed strong in the force, but inexperienced. He prayed Luke had the inner strength to resist the dark side.

Luke stood before Palpatine as the Emperor taunted him.

Palpatine stroked Luke's lightsaber. "You want this…take your Jedi weapon! Use it. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!"

Suddenly Luke snatched the lightsaber with the force, ignited it and slammed it down towards Palpatine. Vader leaped forward, igniting his own saber and blocking the strike. Although it was a perfect chance to strike the Emperor, Anakin knew that striking Palpatine unarmed was only a step towards the dark side. He had learned the hard way back in his youth, first by killing an already defeated Count Dooku, then again when Mace Windu had tried to kill Palpatine who had been cowering under him. Palpatine wanted Luke to strike at him, it would make Luke more his servant. Anakin wasn't falling for it this time. There was only one thing worse than making a terrible mistake, and that was not learning from it.

Anakin had learned.

Luke swung back at Vader. The boy had considerable skill. Anakin kept him fighting, feeling the anger inside Luke and hoping desperately he could contain it. Anakin tried to think of his hatred of Palpatine, to keep his anger levelhigh.Palpatine would surely sense his change of heart if Anakin did not keep the dark side flowing.

Luke was dangerously close to the dark side now. Anakin had to know if Luke was strong enough.

He was risking too much, his plan would not work if Luke himself fell to the darkness too. The dark side was like a hydra – cut of its head and another grows in its place. It would be worthless to kill Palpatine, if Luke then took his place. That was one thing Mace Windu never understood, and it was what lead to the destruction of the Jedi. Mace believed that he could kill Palpatine, even if he had to use the dark side to do it. But by taking that dark side decision, he strengthened the dark side even more. The fool. If not for Mace, Anakin wouldn't have had to defend Palpatine and been forced to pledge himself to the dark side, in a vain effort to save Padme. Which ultimately, had caused her death, not saved it. Vader shook his head out of the past and concentrated on fighting Luke. He would have to test him, push him, to make sure Luke was up to the challenge.

"Your thoughts betray you, father. I feel the good in you...the conflict," said Luke.

The boy was good.

"There is no conflict," Vader lied. He hoped the Emperor could not also sense his true feelings.  
"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now," said Luke confidently.

Anakin was proud of his son. He needed to give him one last test. "You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny." Anakin threw his lightsaber upwards, severing the catwalk. Luke fell in a shower of sparks, where he rolled and hid under the platform. Anakin hoped Luke would find a way to escape, where they could get away from Palpatine. Luke had passed the test, he would not be turned. But Anakin was still not strong enough to take on the Emperor, and he would not risk Luke. He needed to get Luke out of there, somehow.

"You cannot hide forever, Luke," he called.

"I will not fight you," came his disembodied reply.

"Give yourself to the dark side," taunted Vader. "It is the only way you can save your friends."

Anakin stretched out with his feelings, into Luke's mind. Luke was trying to resist him, but the boy was not experienced enough. Anakin caught an image. Could it be true? He had…a daughter? He searched his feelings and knew it to be true. He saw her in Luke's mind- it was the Princess, Leia. Somehow, he realized he already knew that. _Of course..._

"Your thoughts betray you," he boomed. "Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... sister! So. You have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

"Never!" screamed Luke, bursting out with his lightsaber. He attacked Vader with a fury he'd never felt before. Vader was pushed back, shocked by his rage, unable to fight back. _Oh no_, thought Anakin in panic. _I pushed him too far. He was not as strong as I thought. _Luke slashed and slashed repeatedly, slamming him with the saber until Vader fell back. _He is indeed just like me_, thought Anakin. _His love will ultimately destroy him. My love for Padme destroyed me, now his love for his sister has destroyed him. The circle is complete. _Luke slashed again, severing Vader's right arm along with his lightsaber..

_This is it_, thought Anakin. _I have lost my son to the dark side, just as I lost Padme, Obi-Wan and myself. And now I will die by his hand. At least I'll see Padme again..._

Palpatine walked up behind them, clasping his hands in glee. "Good!" he hissed. "Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"

Luke paused, looking at his father's severed mechanical hand and then his own, gloved mechanical right hand. _He is just like me, _thought Luke in horror. _We are no different._  
Luke stumbled back. He made a decision, a decision he knew would cost him his life. But he would not become Darth Vader. He cast his lightsaber away.  
"Never! I'll never turn to the dark side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me," said Luke, tossing his head towards the crumpled heap of Darth Vader.

The Emperor's gleeful expression suddenly turned to pure rage. "So be it..._Jedi_. If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed. " He held up his hands, shooting blue lighting towards Luke. It struck him down and left him writhing in pure agony. Anakin struggled to get up, watching his son in horror. He was still not strong enough to stop the Emperor. There was nothing he could do to save Luke. He felt completely helpless.

"Young fool...only now, at the end, do you understand," jeered the Emperor as Luke twisted and shook before him. "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision."

"Father, please. Help me!" Luke called to Anakin in desperation. Anakin turned back and forth between Luke and his Master._I'm not strong enough, I'm not strong enough!_ he thought in anguish. _I wasn't strong enough to save my mother, I wasn't strong enough to save Padme, I wasn't strong enough to ever break free! I can't help you my son! If only I was as strong as you…_

Palpatine took an evil pause. "Now, young Skywalker...you will die." Leering and gritting his teeth with the sheer power, Palpatine struck Luke even harder.  
Anakin watched in helpless despair. _If only I was strong enough, as strong as you_ echoed in his mind. His son had sacrificed his life for him. Sacrificed himself rather than become a slave to the Emperor. His son was so strong…he was his father's son. Anakin was suddenly struck with the realization that Luke was part of him. And Leia…how she had resisted when he tortured her with that interrogation droid! If Luke and Leia, his son and daughter, had that strength…then maybe he had it too.

Anakin stepped towards Palpatine and grabbed him. He lifted him high over his head and walked slowly to the edge of the abyss at the central core of the throne room. With one final burst of his once awesome strength, Darth Vader hurled the Emperor's body into the bottomless shaft. Screaming, Palpatine's body spun helplessly into the void, arcing as it falls into the abyss. There was a sudden explosion and rush of blue light. Vader's cape was whipped by the explosion and he staggered, collapsing toward the hole. Luke crawled to his father's side and pulled him back from the edge to safety. For a moment, father and son were too weak to move.

Finally Luke gathered enough strength to rise. Taking his father's arm over his shoulders, he hoised Anakin to his feet and clumsily dragged him through the Death Star. There was chaos as the Imperial Troops ran terrified from the Rebel attack. Luke, already weakened from the lightning, was losing the strength to pull his father and himself to safety. His knees buckled and he collapsed.

"Luke, help me take this mask off," Anakin whispered.  
"But you'll die!" answered Luke.  
"Nothing can stop that now. Just for once...let me look on you with my own eyes."  
Luke reluctantly removed the mask. He found the bald, scarred face of his father. He had bright blue eyes.  
"Now...go, my son. Leave me," he told Luke.  
"No. You're coming with me," insisted Luke. "I can't leave you here. I've got to save you!"  
"You already have, Luke. You were right about me. Tell your sister...you were _right_."  
Luke rose uncertainly, then stepped away. He started to walk towards the shuttle, then paused to turn back to his father.

"Wait Luke!" gasped Vader. "I can…I can breathe!"

Luke ran back. "You can?"

"Yes Luke…I don't understand it. Since my accident, I haven't been able to breathe without my mask. I have tried many times to heal my lungs, and breathe alone, but I never could. But…something's happened Luke, I'm breathing!"

Luke's face broke into a smile. "Maybe the dark side was preventing your body from healing? Healing is a light side trait. The dark side was keeping you from using it."

"I don't know what it is, but I'm feeling stronger. Son, help me to get up. We need to get out of here before this thing blows!" Luke joyfully pulled his father up and helped him into the ship. Luke fired up the engines and the shuttle roared from the dying Death Star.


	2. Chapter 2: Confronting The Past

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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CHAPTER TWO: Confronting the Past

Luke wondered what all the commotion was as the ship landed on Endor. The whole forest moon seemed to be lit up, and as the hatch opened, Luke and Anakin could hear raucous cheering and loud music overwhelming the normally peaceful natural environment.

"What is all that noise?" Luke wondered out loud.  
"They're celebrating the destruction of the Death Star," replied Anakin. "And the end of the Empire."  
"Oh yes," said Luke, suddenly realizing. He turned to his father. "In that case…maybe it's best you wait in the ship. It will take a _lot_ of explaining for Leia and Han to understand why Darth Vader is coming to his own defeat party."  
Anakin nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, I think you're right. I might not be the most welcome guest at this particular event. Anyway I need to rest. My lungs are not completely healed. Enjoy your celebration Luke. You earned it."

Luke spotted Leia and Han celebrating amongst the Ewoks. He strode triumphantly towards them. Leia smiled with joy and ran into Luke's arms. Han shook his hand and hugged him. Luke allowed himself to finally relax and enjoy himself. Things were good. Things were very good. The Emperor had been defeated, the galaxy was free. He had found his sister. His father had been freed from a life of evil servitude. He was the hero of the galaxy. For the first time in his life, Luke was truly happy.

He turned, sensing something. There, standing to the side were the spirits of Obi-Wan and Yoda. They were smiling at Luke. Luke nodded to them. They had been so very wrong about his father. But he could never have done any of it without them.

Anakin laid back, weary from the days events. He felt strange. He felt free. In his life, he had never known what that feeling was. Now he had finally found freedom. He was filled with joy, and as he was he felt his lungs expand. It seemed Luke was right. The more he took in the light side, the more his body healed.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice spoke up. "Look who decided to join us here on the light side." Anakin raised his head. His eyes widened when he saw the blue glowing spirit of his former mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi flickering before him.  
"Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed.  
"Yes, it's me. Funny, I once said you'd be the death of me, and it turns out I was right after all."  
"Yes…I did kill you…but you let me kill you. Why did you just stand there like that, why did you let me strike you? And why did you disappear like that?" asked Anakin. He felt like he had a million questions to ask and couldn't get them all out.  
"During my years of exile – I guess I have you to thank for that – I studied under our former Master Qui-Gon. You might remember him, you were only a young boy at the time."  
"Yes I remember," said Anakin. "He was the one who discovered me. But he died before he could train me..."  
"Well," continued Obi-Wan. "He has discovered the pathway to eternal life. He taught me all he knew about the force. Qui-Gon was indeed a wise master. Very knowledgeable about the living force. The Jedi Council never agreed with his ways. But perhaps they should have…look where they – we – ended up."

Anakin dropped his head in shame. "Obi-Wan…this is probably much too little too late…but I must apologize…for everything…what I did to you…the Jedi…the younglings…there are not enough words to explain how sorry I am. I'm sure my words are meaningless to you. But for what it's worth, I am truly sorry and I have paid for my mistakes."

"I do accept your apology, Anakin. "And it does mean a lot to me, to hear you say it. But I feel it is I who also must apologize to you."   
Anakin raised his head in surprise. "You apologize to me? What for? You were a great master, a loyal friend…I threw it all away…"  
"Yes Anakin, you did," nodded Obi-Wan thoughtfully. "You followed Palpatine and pledged yourself to the dark side. That was your decision and yours alone. But I am not without some responsibility. As your Master, I should have taught you better – "   
"I don't hold you responsible for my actions," interrupted Anakin. "Yes I was your Padawan, but I was a grown man when I made my decisions. If I had still been a youngling, then yes maybe you could be held to blame. But I was an adult, I was a full Jedi, and I knew what I was doing."

"You have become wise," said Obi-Wan approvingly. "But as a Master, I could have done many things differently. I could have kept a closer eye on Palpatine, for one thing. I should have said or done something about you and Padme, instead of turning a blind eye." Anakin visibly flinched at the sound of her name. Obi-Wan went on. "I could have prevented a lot of what happened, had I opened my eyes and seen what was going on around me. And, as I said to you in Mustafar, I failed you Anakin. And I failed you twice. Once you turned I thought it was too late. Yoda and I believed once a Sith, always a Sith. I should have tried harder to bring you back. I came to Mustafar with the intent to kill you. And I should never have left you there to burn. I may not have become a Sith, but was I not also acting in anger? Is that not also the dark side? I may have been fighting for the side of right, but the dark side is the dark side, no matter what cause you use it for. And surely, allowing a good friend and apprentice to take the dark path, without even attempting to save him makes me no better than Palpatine himself."

Anakin stared at him for a long moment. "You are much too hard on yourself. You tried to stop me. You tried to save...  
P-Padme…from me. You did all you could."  
"Thankyou Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "You truly have returned. All these years I believed you were dead. Luke was the only one who could still see you there inside Vader. Your son is indeed a fine young man."  
Anakin glowed with pride at the mention of Luke. "Yes he is. And a great Jedi…"  
"…like his father before him,' finished Obi-Wan. "Take care my old friend. We may meet again."

"Thankyou Obi-Wan," Anakin called after him, as the spirit disappeared into the force. He laid back on his bed, thinking

The party had lasted until well into the morning. Han and Chewie finally rose to make some much needed repairs to the Falcon. Leia busied herself preparing breakfast, and in typical Leia fashion, doing a thousand things at once by also communicating with various Rebel Leaders and Senators and generally trying to run the galaxy single handedly. As she passed one of the windows, Leia spied a strange figure walking through the forest. Something about him was familiar to her, and caught her curiosity. She grabbed her macrobinoculars to get a better view. The man was completely bald and strangely scarred. As he turned she got a glimpse of his face. He appeared to be human, but his face was also scarred, like a burn victim. It took Leia a moment to figure out who he was. She had never seen this burned, disfigured man before. But one look at the suit, the cape, those gloves…

"Vader!" she screamed. "It's Darth Vader! He's supposed to be dead! Luke, Luke come and see, he's here, he's found us, we have to get out of here!"  
Luke walked up behind her. "Calm down Leia. I know."  
Leia spun around. "You know? How, you sensed it? Why didn't you warn us, we have to run!"  
"No we don't," said Luke calmly. "He's no danger to us anymore."  
"No danger? NO DANGER? Have you lost your mind? He is the most evil man in the galaxy! How the hell did he survive the Death Star blast anyway?"  
Luke shrugged. "I rescued him."  
"You WHAT?" shrieked Leia. "You…oh god, I have to sit down…you rescued…you… oh Luke, you fool...how could you…oh my god…"  
"He's not evil anymore," insisted Luke.  
"Not…not evil? Oh Luke how stupid can you be? People don't just stop being evil. You can't just turn it off with a switch! He's DARTH VADER Luke. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Darth VADER."  
"He has turned back from the dark side of the force," explained Luke. "He's good again."  
Leia rose to her feet. "Good again. GOOD again? How can you say it like you're talking about the weather. Do I have to spell it out for you? PEOPLE LIKE DARTH VADER DO NOT JUST TURN GOOD AGAIN!"  
"Well…." said Luke. "…he did."  
Leia looked at him like he had turned into a Hutt. "My brother is a naïve fool. I can't…oh I can't believe you've done this Luke. Just when we thought we were free of the Empire. Oh…"  
"It's okay, Leia."  
"Okay? It's NOT okay Luke. Nothing is okay. It may never be okay again. Oh god, I have to do something, I have to evacuate everyone, we need a plan of attack. I'll make some calls...yes...maybe Mon Mothma will know what to do."  
"Leia," said Luke, trying to stop her as she pushed past him.  
"I can't speak to you right now Luke," she snapped. "Just don't come near me for a while. A long while."

Luke sighed. Han appeared in the door just as Leia stomped through it. He looked back at her and then at Luke. "What did you say to her, kid?" he asked in bewilderment.  
Luke shrugged. "You know Leia."

Luke was still shaking his head over Leia's outburst as he approached the shuttle he and Anakin had escaped in. He found his father trying to make repairs on the shuttle with his one hand.  
"Hello Luke," he said without turning around.  
"Morning, Father," said Luke. "How are you feeling?"  
"Better. Much better. It's a miracle. I can breathe more clearly all the time!"  
"Wonderful, Father," said Luke warmly.  
"How was the party? How is everyone?"  
"The party was fun. Everyone's fine. But you might want to stay clear of Leia for some time though," warned Luke.

"Ah," said Anakin. "I expected that she might not be overcome with warm daughterly feelings toward me. Does she know?"  
"If you mean does she know you're our father, then yes, she knows. Though she didn't react much when I told her, strangely enough. But she sure reacted when she found out you're still alive, and here on Endor with us."  
"I'm sure she did," mused Anakin. "I can imagine I'm not her most favorite person."  
"She'll come around," said Luke. "She acts tough, but she's quite soft deep down."

"You really do see the best in everyone, don't you Luke?"

Luke shrugged. "I try. Didn't see much in Jabba the Hutt though." Anakin laughed.  
"It's a good trait Luke, a good trait. Speaking of good, I had a visit from an old friend last night," Anakin told him.  
"Really?" Luke was surprised. "Who? Who knows you're here?"

"Obi-Wan," answered Anakin. "He visited me."  
Luke's face was a vision of disbelief. "He did? But..but…he said – he thought…"  
"That I was dead?" smiled Anakin. "That I was Vader and could never return? I think up until last night, he still believed that. But now he has seen with his own eyes. He admitted he was wrong. He took the blame for a lot of things. But I couldn't let him do it. It would be easy for me to say 'I turned because Obi-Wan pushed me on Mustafar', or 'I turned because the Jedi never listened to me.' But I was a grown man Luke, I can't blame anyone but myself. Yes Palpatine tricked me, but who's the more foolish...the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Luke suppressed a smile. "You're sounding more like Obi-Wan every day."  
"Well I could do worse than become like Obi-Wan," laughed Anakin.  
"But aren't you angry at him?" asked Luke. "For cutting you and leaving you to burn?"

Anakin sighed. "It was the only way to stop me. I was trying to kill him. Before that I had killed all the children in the Jedi Temple. I was arguing with your mother when Obi-Wan turned up. Then we fought – we fought for a long time until Obi-Wan got the higher ground and was able to disarm me. He cut of my legs and left arm with one stroke. I fell and slid into the lava, where I caught fire. But I don't blame him for any of that. I mean, of course I _did_, but if I'm really honest with myself I can only blame me in the end. I suppose he could have pulled me out of the lava, then Palpatine could not have found me…"

"Why didn't he?" asked Luke, horrified. "Why did he just leave you there? He was your friend!"  
Anakin shook his head. "I don't know. We talked about it last night. Obi-Wan believed that once one turned to the dark side, it was too late. That is what we were always taught as Jedi."

Luke nodded. "Yes, he didn't believe you could be saved. I tried to tell him there was good in you but he wouldn't hear it. He said Anakin Skywalker was dead and you were more machine than man. He tried to talk me out of saving you. When I said I couldn't kill my own father, he said that then the Emperor had already won. He really believed that the only way to defeat you was to kill you. But if I had…I'd probably be sitting beside Palpatine right now."

"Yes," agreed Anakin. "Obi-Wan is a great man and he taught me well. His faults are the faults of the Jedi training, not his own. When I was a boy, there was an ancient prophecy about a 'Chosen One' who would bring balance to the force by defeating the Sith. They thought that I was this chosen one and that I would one day destroy the Sith. In the end even Yoda had started to doubt this prophecy. He thought that perhaps the Jedi had misread it. I don't know if I even believe in prophecies, but I do think now that you can't destroy Sith by killing them, as we once believed. Obi-Wan came to Mustafar to kill me, and he pushed me further into the dark side. Another Jedi, Mace Windu, tried to kill Palpatine, and got killed instead. You tried to kill me, and you almost fell yourself. But I think you may be the first person to unlock the secret to defeating the Sith Luke."

"I am?" questioned Luke. "How?"

"You save them."


	3. Chapter 3: Burying Grudges

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter 3 – Burying Grudges

In the shadows, lurked an old enemy. Someone thought to be dead. He was waiting, biding his time for the perfect opportunity to take his revenge. Shutting down his macrobinoculars, he returned to his ship and prepared to make the next move.

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Leia paced back and forth across the room. Her holo projecter was overheating while she raced aroundfrantically calling and sending messages to as many people as she could.

"Yes, yes, it's true I'm afraid. Yes, Vader survived the Death Star blast. Umm…no…I'm not really sure _how_. I think he might have had help…from an incredibly stupid person. No I don't know who. Yes, we need to get ourselves organized before Vader has time to rally up the Imperial Troops. Declare himself Emperor? Oh…I hadn't even thought of that...we'll get moving as soon as we can."

She clicked her comlink shut and swore under her breath. "You _idiot_ Luke," she muttered. "How could you _be_ so stupid."

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Luke and Anakin stood outside the door to Leia's Ewok hut, listening to the commotion inside.  
"I guess you have to face Leia sooner or later," said Luke, not sounding terribly confident.  
"Yes," said Anakin. "It would be a little silly to hide from her."  
"I agree."

They stood a few moments, neither moving.

"The best way to handle Leia," advised Luke, "Is to just agree with everything she says."  
Anakin nodded. "I'll try to remember that while she's beating me with my own mechanical limbs."

Father and son stood staring at the door.

Luke looked at Anakin expectantly. "Should we go in?"  
"Uh, it's probably better if you go before me," suggested Anakin.  
"Yeah, that way she can kill me first and you have time to run away while she disposes of my body," said Luke disdainfully. He hesitantly knocked. "Leia? It's Luke?"  
"I'm not speaking to you," her muffled voice sounded through the door. Luke took a deep breath before he opened the door anyway and entered.  
"Luke, I thought I told you not to – "

Anakin walked in behind Luke with uncertainty. Leia's eyes widened in shock, then quickly narrowed and became dark with seething rage.  
"_You_!" she hissed. "How DARE you walk in here. After all you've done! Luke, how could you save this piece of filth? How could you bring this…this MONSTER in here?"  
"He saved my life," said Luke simply. "And he is our father."  
"Father." Leia spat out the word as though it were poison. "He is no father."  
"Leia," said Anakin, trying to take her arm. She recoiled in disgust.  
"Don't TOUCH me," she fumed. "You sicken me."  
"Leia, he's changed now. I told you, he has turned back to the light. He is no longer Darth Vader. This is Anakin Skywalker, our father," Luke tried to tell her.

Leia's expression said it all. "He will always be Darth Vader. This is the man who tortured me on the Death Star. This is the man who held me back as Tarkin destroyed my home and family on Alderaan. He is pure evil, and I will never forgive him. Never." Leia spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing.

"If I can forgive him, so can you," Luke persisted.  
"You are a complete imbecile, Luke," she glowered. She turned to Anakin. "Give me one good reason why I don't take out my blaster and blow you away right this moment." Both Luke and Anakin were taken aback by the vicious expression on her face.

Anakin just looked at her. "I understand Leia," he said sadly. "I wouldn't be able to forgive me either, in your position. I don't expect you to. But I can help you. I'm the only one who can call off the Imperial Troops. I can end the fighting. I'm the only one who knows how the old Republic was. I can help you to establish your own government, renew the Jedi Order…"  
"The hell you will," snapped Leia. "Luke, you fool, you have brought the leader of the Empire right into the Rebellion. He knows where we are now, he can destroy us! What have you _done _Luke?"  
"I told you, he's _finished_ with the Empire now. I know you don't believe us yet, but he will show you."  
Anakin nodded. "Yes. After time, you will see I have changed. I will prove myself to you..."  
"I'll believe it when I see it." Leia pushed past them and stalked icily through the door. "Until then – _stay the hell away from me."_

Luke and Anakin stood in the hut and looked at each other. "That went surprisingly well, actually," they agreed.

---

Han and Chewie were, as usual, making much needed repairs on the Millennium Falcon. Their banging and tinkering could be heard through the otherwise tranquil forest.

"Pass me the vibroblade! You got any transparisteel back there? Well find some!"

"Look, there's Han," Luke pointed out to Anakin, who sighed.  
"Another person I owe an apology to," he muttered reluctantly.

"Chewie something is wrong with the alluvial dampers! I don't care, just fix it!" Han was shouting.  
"Why doesn't he just get a new ship?" Anakin asked out of the corner of his mouth.  
Luke smirked in amusement. "Hey Han!"

Han wiped his hands on a dirty rag and came over. "Hi Luke…who are you?" he asked, noticing the tall, disfigured man beside him.  
"This is…well this is my father, Anakin Skywalker," introduced Luke tentatively.  
Han raised his eyebrows. "Your father? But Leia told me that your father is Darth…" Han looked down and noticed the black suit, the cape. "…Vader." He took an involuntary step back. "You're Darth Vader."  
Anakin nodded. "Yes…well I was Darth Vader. But not anymore. Darth Vader is dead. I am Anakin Skywalker now."

"Ooo-kaaay," said Han, not looking convinced one bit. "And you're fine with this Luke?" He waved his finger between the two.  
"Yes Han. He is my father. I know you don't believe in the Force and you don't understand about the dark side, but I can tell you that he is not Darth Vader anymore."  
Han looked back and forth between them. "I don't know about this…what did Leia say?"  
Luke and Anakin looked at each other. "Well…" said Luke.  
"I think I can guess," said Han. Chewie, who was listening on top of the Falcon, roared in agreement.

Anakin stepped forward. "Han I must apologize for torturing you on Bespin. I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing lately, and you're on that very long list of people."  
Han glared at him. "There's just one thing I never understood. How come you never asked me any questions? Why torture me?"  
"It was a ploy to draw Luke to you. As a Jedi, he can pick up on the suffering of those he cares about. I knew your pain would bring him to you," clarified Anakin. "And then him to me…I can offer no real excuses for what I did other than to say I was under the control of the Emperor at the time. I've done a lot of terrible things but I'm doing all I can to make things right."

Han took a breath. "Well I suppose if I can forgive Lando, I can forgive you too," he said grudgingly. "But I'm with Leia on this. I don't trust you, and you've got a lot of proving to do." He jabbed a finger in Anakin's direction to make his point.  
"I understand," agreed Anakin amiably. "I can't ask for anything more."  
"Well okay then," said Han gruffly. "So uh, Luke, when are we leaving this little Teddy Bear planet and making a move? Has Leia said anything about what we do next?"  
"She mentioned something about Coruscant," said Luke. "The Rebels are going to establish a new leadership, or something like that."  
"I'd better go and talk to her myself, find out if she's planning to come with us in the Falcon…" Han looked at Luke and Anakin. "Do you guys…uh…need a ride too?" Chewie growled. Neither of them looked too thrilled with the idea of riding with Darth Vader.  
"We have our own ship," said Luke. "But thanks."  
"No problem kid," said Han, still not taking his wary eyes off Anakin. "Let's go."

There was an uncomfortable silence as they trudged through the forest back to the Ewok community. Han broke the silence, in typical Han fashion. "So…Vader," he began. "Or do you prefer Darth?"  
"You may call me Anakin," he said evenly.  
"Ok…so Anakin. Sorry to sound a little blunt," said Han. "But what the hell is wrong with your face?" Chewie growled a warning to Han to shut up. "Well," defended Han. "He's all messed up. Now we know what the mask was hiding."

Even Luke looked horrified. Chewie just clapped an enormous paw over his face and howled.

Anakin laughed. He admired Han's spunk."It's ok, you can ask. I fell into a lava pit and caught fire."  
"Huh," said Han. "I heard that but never knew if it was true. But…I don't get it. Don't they have ways of fixing your face? I mean Luke here got messed up by a Wampa, looked pretty bad too, a few days in a bacta tank and he's his old handsome self again." He ruffled Luke's hair, as Luke elbowed him in embarrassed irritation. "But…couldn't you…well…fix yourself?" Chewie growled something that translated to "Oh, Han."

Anakin sighed. "Well, back when I first got burned they didn't have the same access to bacta as we do now. I never even got treated for my burns. They just put me straight into the suit."  
"Why did you need that big contraption anyway?" asked Han.  
"I needed the respirator to breathe, after my lungs were destroyed by breathing sulfur," explained Anakin. "My entire body was burned, and the suit protected me from infection and temperature. The helmet helped to keep the air at the correct level. And these -" he waved his arms and legs, "These are mechanical limbs."  
"You have no arms or legs?" asked Han in astonishment. "How'd you lose those?"  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi cut them off," answered Anakin.  
"That old fossil?" quipped Han. "Wow, that old guy was full of surprises."

"But the technology has improved since then," Luke pointed out. "Why didn't you use it?"  
Anakin thought for a moment. "Well I guess I had a few reasons. One thing is that, with burned skin and artificial limbs, I couldn't feel anything."  
"Luke can feel with his fake hand, can't you Luke?" interrupted Han.  
"These are older models," said Anakin, looking down at his left arm, then to his severed right arm. "They're only mechanical, not this bio-organic material that Luke has. Not being able to feel has its benefits when you're trying to hide from pain. And also…I must admit I'm a rather stubborn man. I thought I could heal myself with the Force. I've been trying for the last twenty years…not with much success though…anyway, the suit and mask had the very useful effect of intimidating those I wished to intimidate. Which, let's face it, was everyone," he admitted.  
"Couldn't you do something now?" prodded Han. "Or do you want to go around looking like a Bith for the rest of your life?"  
"Han!" objected Luke. Chewie roared something to the effect of "What the hell are you saying? This is Darth Vader!"  
Anakin just laughed again. "I never really cared before. What was the point? But now…yes, it might be a good idea to look into some treatments."

"The best place would be Coruscant," said Han, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "Centre of the galaxy, they probably have the best medical centres there. We're on our way there anyway, hopefully anarchy has not broken out since the Emperor bought a one way ticket to hell…oh..." He looked at Anakin. "Oh sorry…he was your friend and all…you're probably sad."  
"Sad?" said Anakin with a sneer. "I was the one who _killed_ him!"  
"I thought Luke did! At least that's the story that's going around. Have you been taking the credit for your father's work here?" Han accused Luke.  
"Hey I never said it was me!" cried Luke. "The Emperor was about to kill me, Father saved me and killed him."  
"Wow, really?" said Han turning back to Anakin with new respect in his eyes. "So you really didn't like him?"

"That's putting it mildly," said Anakin. "He destroyed my whole life. I finally paid him back."

---

Leia had already packed up her things and was waiting impatiently for Han.  
"Where have you been Han?" she demanded. "I've been ready for hours while you've been tinkering with that bucket of bolts. I have important work to do."  
"Yes your highnessness. Your ship awaits you, mi'lady."  
"Don't get smart with me."

Leia marched down the ramp way. A group of Ewoks, led by Wicket, gathered together.  
Her face softened. "Thankyou for all your help," she said. "Especially you, little one." She patted Wicket on the head. He said something to her and handed her a handcrafted necklace.  
"It appears that he is giving you a departure gift, as you are considered part of his tribe," translated Threepio.  
"Well thankyou," Leia smiled warmly. "I will treasure it." She tied the piece around her neck. "Goodbye, friends." The Ewoks cheered and waved goodbye as Leia, Han and Threepio walked away.

As they approached the ship, they passed Luke and Anakin.  
"_He _better not be coming with us," said Leia through her clenched jaw.  
"Don't worry." Luke was rolling his eyes. "We're taking the Imperial Shuttle. You ride with Han and Chewie."  
"May I strongly suggest you ride with us too?" said Leia, a false smile plastered on her face.  
"I'm riding with my father," said Luke with a determined expression at Leia.  
"Suit yourself." She did not acknowledge Anakin as she strode past him. He watched after her as she boarded the Falcon.  
Han looked at Luke and Anakin with a "What can you do?" expression and shrugged. He and Chewie followed her on the ship.

Anakin stood, still staring after Leia. "Come, father," said Luke, taking his arm and leading him back to the shuttle.

As the two ships took off, nobody noticed a third ship rising up from the other side of Endor. And none of them had noticed the small tracking device on the Falcon's hull. Han punched in the hyperspace coordinates for Coruscant and they shot off, unaware of the danger behind them.


	4. Chapter 4: Explanations

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Four Explanations

"So Luke," began Anakin, setting the shuttle on autopilot. "Tell me about yourself. I don't really know anything about you. I heard that you were raised on Tatooine, is that right?"  
"Yes Father," answered Luke, watching the familiar hyperspace lines streak across the sky.

"Strange. I also was raised on Tatooine."

"You were?" said Luke, turning to him with a frown. He considered this for a moment. "But why was I sent there, if it was your homeworld? Surely you might have found me?"

Anakin shrugged and checked the control panel. "I wasn't looking for you. I didn't even know you existed until the Battle of Yavin. I guess you were fairly safe from me...I had no reason tosearch for a son I didn't know I had.Though I do wonder why they let you keep the name Skywalker. It would have gotten my attention, had I ever run into you. It certainly got my attention when I found out it was a Skywalker who destroyed the Death Star."

"Hmm, yes you're right," frowned Luke. "But I guess Tatooine is so far from anything they thought you would never go there.""Yes, well I never did, so they were right. Like I said, I wasn't looking for you. If I had gone there, it's still unlikely I would have stumbled onto you. Where did you live, who raised you? Obi-Wan?"

"Oh no." Luke shook his head. "I was raised by my Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru."  
"Who?"  
"Uncle…Uncle Owen. I thought he was your brother?" Luke was confused.  
"I have no brother," said Anakin. "Owen…Owen…the name is familiar. Where did you live?"  
"On a moisture farm just outside of Mos Eisley," said Luke.

"Moisture farm…oh!" Anakin suddenly connected. "Was his name…Lars or something like that?"  
"Yes," said Luke. "Owen Lars. You do know him?"  
"He was – he was my stepbrother!" Anakin realized .  
"So you _did_ have a brother, at least sort of," said Luke. "You don't remember your own stepbrother?"  
"I only met him once, and not for very long. I visited that farm many years ago, looking for my mother. She had married Owen's father."

"But Obi-Wan told me you were brothers, and that Owen didn't want you to fight in the Clone Wars!" Luke remembered.

Anakin shook his head. "No…I have no idea what Obi-Wan was talking about! I barely even spoke to the guy. I was there a few minutes, then I went out to find my mother who had been kidnapped by Tuskens. She died, and we had a funeral. Then I left to save Obi-Wan over on Geonosis. I really didn't know Owen at all, and never saw him again after that."

"How strange," said Luke, bemused. "I guess Obi-Wan was just making up stories so I wouldn't find out who you were."  
"Must have. Either that or the old man had gone senile. So how is Owen, anyway? Still running the farm? I remember he had that girlfriend, she was really nice," said Anakin.  
Luke looked down. "They're dead. They were killed when the Emp…when _you_ were looking for the droids."

"The droids?"

"The droids with the Death Star plans, the ones Leia cast away," Luke reminded him.  
"Oh," said Anakin as it sunk in. "Another pain I have caused you, son. I'm so terribly sorry. I had no idea."  
"Well I guess it wasn't you, it was the Stormtroopers. And you didn't know they were my family."  
"No…even so, it was I who sent them there. I am sorry Luke."

Luke began to speak, then was silent for a few minutes. Anakin waited patiently.

"I...look, I know you've donea lot of terrible things in your life. Butit was Darth Vader who did all of it . I know that. I can't hold a grudge against you for everything he did. I'm not Leia."

"Thankyou Luke. That means a lot."

Father and son sat silently in the shuttle cockpit for several moments.

"There's one thing I don't understand…how in the _galaxy_ did Owen get those droids?"

"We bought them from Jawas," Luke explained. "It was quite a strange coincidence really. We bought Threepio and an astromech droid. But the astrodroid broke down, and we ended up with Artoo instead. While I was cleaning him, I accidentally found a message from Leia calling for Obi-Wan. We found Obi-Wan, and while I was with him your troopers were murdering my family. I still don't know how a droid with a message from my sister somehow ended up in my hands on a farm in the middle of nowhere."

"That's what Qui-Gon would have called the 'will of the force' reflected Anakin.

"Qui-Gon?"

"The Jedi who discovered me. A very wise man. He would have said that it was no coincidence. When Leia sent off those droids she set a chain in motion that led you to her, and both of you to me. If you had not found Obi-Wan, you would have been killed by my troopers."

"And Leia in the Death Star," added Luke.  
"Yes…perhaps. I was delaying that as long as possible."  
"You were?" asked Luke with an incredulous smile. "So you knew about her?"  
"I didn't know who she was. But I admired her spunk, telling Tarkin where to go like she did. She reminded me so much of Padme. Now I know why of course. I stalled them as long as I could and kept telling them she was of use to us. I sensed her Jedi skills when I was interrogating her. I was considering her for my new apprentice, which is why I allowed you leave the Death Star that day."  
"But you were going to blow up Yavin 4 with the Death Star!"  
"That was Tarkin. He was at a higher level than me, I couldn't stop him. Though I did think Leia would be smart enough to get off the planet before it blew. If she wasn't – then well, I didn't want her for an apprentice anyway. But then you showed up, and after I found out who you were I got busy looking for you."

"Aha," nodded Luke. "So that's how it all happened."

"Were the droids that were with Han and Leia the same ones that had the Death Star plans?" asked Anakin.  
"Yes," said Luke. "We kept them around. They've both proven themselves very useful. I'm especially attached to Artoo. We've been through a lot together, me and that little droid. Sometimes he feels like an old friend."

Anakin chuckled. "I know what you mean. I had an R2 unit back when I was a Jedi. He was exactly the same model as yours, same colour and everything. He felt like a friend too. He had such a personality, really cheeky and defiant. Always managed to save the day. Obi-Wan thought I was nuts for treating him like a person."

"Sounds just like my Artoo! Funny, I've never met a droid with the same personality as Artoo Deetoo. Must have been a strange batch – " Luke began.  
Anakin was looking at him. "Did you say R2-D2? That was the number of my astrodroid!"  
They looked at each other, eyes wide. "No, it couldn't possibly be the same!" They both laughed.

---

"Not too thrilled about dear old dad turning up, huh Leia?" asked Han in his usual straight-talking style.  
Leia responded with one of her famous "Don't mess with me" expressions that could make a Reek run and hide.  
"Hey, I was just asking, just asking," said Han in mock innocence, his hands up.  
"I don't understand Luke," she muttered. "I just _don't _understand him."  
"Maybe he sees something you don't," shrugged Han.

"What is WITH everyone?" said Leia, her voice rising. "You of _all _people Han. Or have you blocked out your little encounter with him on Bespin? The torture rack? The carbonite?"  
"I haven't forgotten. But something _happened_ up there on the Death Star. Something made him different. He just doesn't seem like the same guy who did all that stuff. I mean, he _did_ kill the Emperor. Why would he do that if he was still a bad guy? And Luke seems fairly sure that Vader has turned around…"

"Luke is not thinking straight!" Leia's voice was getting shrill. "He found out Vader is his father and got all sentimental and mushy about it! He wants to believe so badly that he'll trust anything that man says!"  
"I guess the kid did grow up without a father, I can understand –" began Han.  
"That's no reason to latch onto a _murderer!_ " barked Leia. "Just because he has daddy issues doesn't mean the rest of us should be subjected to that man. It's _sick _Han! Sick!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," said Han, putting a comforting arm around her. Angry tears burned from Leia's eyes. _"I can't forgive him,"_ she exhaled into Han's neck.  
"I know sweetheart," said Han. "I know."

---

"Do you feel that?" asked Anakin, his hand on his heart.  
"Yes…yes," said Luke. "It's Leia…she's in terrible pain."

"There, look," said Anakin as their shuttle left hyperspace and appeared in Coruscant's atmosphere. The Falcon had arrived just in front of them and was visible from the shuttle window.  
"What's happening to her?" asked Luke, filled with concern. "Does she need help?"  
Anakin closed his eyes, then sighed heavily. "No," he said.  
"But she's in pain, I can feel it!" said Luke anxiously.  
"It's me." Anakin looked down. "I am causing her this pain. She can't let go of her hatred for me."  
"Oh that," sighed Luke, relaxing again. "I don't know what to do with her."

Anakin stared at the Falcon silently for a moment, "Son, I think it's best that I stay away from her for a while. I'm worried that this anger won't be good for her. I've seen what it can do, I've become it."

Luke hesitated. "Okay…you may be right. I guess we're expecting an awful lot of her. It's only been a few days and we're asking her to forgive and accept you. She's been through so much, what with Alderaan and all. Maybe she needs some more time."  
"Maybe…" mused Anakin, staring out the window. "Anyway," he said, snapping his attention back to Luke. "I would very much like to find one of those med centers Han was talking about. My current appearance has suited Darth Vader all these years, but I don't think it fits Anakin. I want to leave all traces of Vader behind me."

"Okay," agreed Luke. "Darn, I wish we had one of the droids to help me search for local med centers. But as usual, the Falcon needed repairs…"  
"Like I said, why doesn't he get a new ship?" said Anakin, bemused.  
Luke laughed. "Don't let Han hear you say that!" He turned his attention to the information screen of the shuttle.

"Well Father, I'm looking through the local directories and here's a med center that seems reputable. It says they specialize in burns, in any case," said Luke, looking at the screen.

"Okay, let's try it," said Anakin, bringing in the shuttle to dock.

---

The enemy ship locked onto their entrance into Coruscant. He punched in the entry code and prepared to land.


	5. Chapter 5: Regeneration

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**A few messages before the chapter begins:**

**To Mina: Nope, I definitely am not the first to write a story with Anakin surviving ROTJ. The comment at the beginning regarding someone stealing this story refers to a girl who joined a fanfic site that I'm part of and took most of the plot of this story and also from two other authors on the site. I wrote the comment in case someone has read hers first and thinks _I_ was the one who stole from _her_...as you will see in my feedback, Anarexia Streetwalker can back me up on this. (Thanks ASW!)**

**To anyone who read the original on AA: I've since updated, added some extra parts and chapters, changed a few things.**

**To answer Padmeonpaper's question: Since my story is AU I'm not worrying too much about what happens in the novels. As far as I'm concerned, in ****ROTJ they pulled down Palpatine's statue in Coruscant and the Empire no longer has control there, so that's how the Rebels were free to fly in there. In this chapter you will see the Rebellion have already gained power in Coruscant anyway, the Empire crumbled without Palpatine unlike in the EU where they struggle on for decades. Oh, and you'll have to wait a little longer before Anakin meets Threepio! ;) Thanks!**

**To Jedi Master Arie Skywalker: I am SO enjoying your story and thankyou for reading mine!**

**Thanks to everyone who has commented for the nice reviews! You guys rock!**

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CHAPTER FIVE – Regeneration

Anakin sat patiently while the medical droid examined his burned face and body.  
"Can you help him?" asked Luke.  
"Yes," said the med droid. "This should be a simple procedure. We will remove the scarred skin and place him in the bacta. His own skin will regenerate in a matter of weeks."  
"And my limbs?" questioned Anakin.  
"We have the latest in bio-organic limbs. We can attach them to your nerves, they will look, move and feel like ordinary body parts.  
Anakin smiled nervously. "What do you think Luke?" he asked his son.  
"I say go for it, Father," encouraged Luke.

Anakin felt nervous. After more than twenty years of living as an inhuman machine, he would finally become a normal person again.

"Are you ready sir?" asked the medical droid.  
"Yes."  
The droids began to remove the suit from his body. The respirator was taken away, the various monitors and tubes extracted. They carefully severed the mechanical limbs.

"We are taking you to the operating theatre sir," the droid informed him.  
"Thankyou," said Anakin. They wheeled him out through the hallway, where Luke was anxiously waiting. He audibly gasped when he saw his father, nothing more than a heavily scarred torso.

"It's okay son," Anakin comforted him. "Not long now, you'll see what a handsome devil I really am!"  
Luke laughed, breaking the tension. "Good luck Father."

Anakin was sedated and the medical droids set about removing all his burned flesh, leaving him a livid red mass of veins and muscle. He was immediately rushed to the bacta room and lowered into the tank.

Luke was allowed to go in and see him. His knees almost gave way when he saw his father's condition. Anakin was completely skinless, a gruesome figure of exposed flesh. Luke felt sick to his stomach and had to turn away. He used a Jedi calming technique to settle himself for a moment. If the bacta worked, he would have his true father back.

"We are using a special enhanced form of bacta for your father," the med droid explained to Luke. "It is filled with stem cells, which will attach to your father's skin and mould themselves to his DNA. This will help them to recreate his true face." Luke nodded, not really understanding the technical aspects but he did comprehend that it should give his father back his old looks.

Inside the bacta tank, Anakin dreamed.

_"Medically, she is completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her." _

"She's dying?"

"We don't know why. She has lost the will to live. We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies."

_"Babies?" _

"She's carrying twins."

"Save them, we must. They are our last hope."

_Anakin stood in the medical center, seeing everything as clearly as if he was really there. He looked around in confusion._

_Was this a memory?_

_Or a dream?_

_Lying on the table was Padme. Anakin ran to her crying __"Padme! Padme!"_

_She couldn't hear him. _

"Don't give up, Padme," Obi-Wan was telling her.

Obi-Wan? What is he doing here?

_Anakin had seen this before...it was his nightmare...the one where Padme... _

A medical droid held up a baby.

"Luke . . ."

_Luke? "Luke! My son!" cried Anakin. He turned back to his wife desperately."Padme, it's me, I'm here!"_

She did not hear. Padme's face contorted in pain once again as a second child was delivered.

"Leia."

Anakin stared in wonder at the tiny girl. So this was how it happened.

The image started to fade. Padme was struggling to breathe.

"...there is good in him..." Her voice sounded far away.

"Wait! Wait, Padme, I'm here! I'm back Padme! I'm sorry! Wait!"

She was gone. He was standing in a grey room. There was nothing in it except for two baskets.

Anakin looked inside. His two babies were there.

For a moment Anakin forgot his agony over Padme. His children! He had missed out on seeing them like this.

"Hello son," he told the boy, stroking his arm. Luke's tiny hand grasped Anakin's finger. Anakin smiled in awe, admiring his baby son.

The girl began to cry. Anakin went to her and tried to soothe her. "Shh, Leia, don't cry. Daddy's here."

But she screamed louder, and louder. He couldn't make her stop. The more he tried the worst it became.

He stood over her, rocking the basket. "Leia, Leia, don't cry! It's Daddy!" The baby became hysterical. There was a look of terror in her tiny eyes.

Her screams filled his ears.

Suddenly she was not a baby anymore. She was a grown woman, still screaming. He was still standing over her, but this time with an Imperial Interrogation Droid.

He was torturing her.

"No! No, stop! Leia, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He wanted to wake up.

But he couldn't.

Luke watched over Anakin's treatments with an almost father-like concern. He rarely left the treatment centre, preferring instead to stay by Anakin's side. Slowly he saw improvements. Anakin's skin slowly replenished during the bacta treatments and he became less terrifying to look at. Still, it broke Luke's heart to see his father as such a pitiful, limbless creature. He seemed so small and helpless, floating there. It became harder and harder for Luke to remember his father as Darth Vader. How could this small, broken man have ever been the evil conqueror?

As weeks passed, Anakin's face developed into something recognizable. His hair had started to grow, sandy blond much like Luke's, but wavier like Leia's. The skin on his torso and what was left of his arms and legs was becoming smooth and natural. As days and weeks passed, he looked more and more like a normal human being.

Finally, the bacta treatments finished and Luke was able to look at his father's face for the first time. He was a handsome man, in his mid forties, with a long jawline and a cleft chin similar to Luke's. There was a definite resemblance, though Anakin's face was not as round and boyish as Luke's. His eyes were deep set, with dark eyebrows. Anakin's eyes blinked open, revealing his blue eyes, the only part of him Luke recognized from his former, burned appearance. "Hello Luke," said Anakin groggily. "Did everything go okay? How do I look?"  
"You look great," Luke assured him. "Now we just need to get you some arms and legs!"

"These are the latest model bio-organic prosthetic limbs," the med droid informed them. "Not only are they completely life like, but they are stronger and more durable than the previous models."  
"Thankyou," breathed Anakin. "Well Luke, this is it. I'll be walking out of here a new man."  
"I look forward to it," grinned Luke.

The droids set about attaching the limbs to Anakin's four stumps. Luke remembered all too well the process of having an artificial limb attached. He looked down at his right hand and flexed it. For some reason it made him want to laugh, thinking that the man who gave him that hand was now sitting in front of him getting his own limbs replaced. It brought home to Luke how alike they really were. It was a warm thought, yet also frightening. Somewhere at the back of Luke's mind there was always the danger of the dark side. His father was a great man, yet had somehow become a twisted, evil machine. And Luke himself had almost succumbed to it there in the throne room. What if next time he didn't have his father's love to pull him back? It worried Luke greatly. He planned to ask Anakin after his surgeries to help him to understand the dark side, and how to better fight it.

Anakin awoke with a strange feeling in his arms and legs. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He lifted his head and raised his right arm. There at the end of it was a new forearm and hand. He watched in amazement as he moved the fingers. "It works!" he said to himself.

"Incredible, isn't it?" said Luke, standing by the door. "I couldn't believe it when I got my hand, it felt and moved just like the real thing."

"Yes," said Anakin. "I can feel with it again. Do you think I can walk yet?"

"I'll call the med droid and find out," said Luke.

The med droid came in and examined Anakin. "The limbs seem to have attached nicely. It will be a little painful at first, but I encourage you to begin walking to aid the neuroreceptors in reconnecting and working as normal.

Anakin raised himself to a sitting position and swung his legs around. With an uncertain smile to Luke, he lowered himself down onto his feet. It took Anakin a moment to gain the correct balance on his new legs. Unlike the old ones, he could actually feel all the way to the ground. It was a peculiar sensation for one who had been numb for so long. He stepped forward much like a small child.  
"This may take some getting used to," he said, gritting his teeth through the pain. He took a few more wobbly steps, then rested a moment. He got up and tried again, gaining a little more control. Anakin noticed a mirror over in the corner.

With all his strength, Anakin staggered towards the mirror. He finally made it, and stood and looked at his reflection.  
"Oh my…" he said in awe. "I had forgotten…"

Anakin was twenty five years older than he had been when his face had been destroyed, but he still recognized himself. He was still the handsome man he once was, though now slightly more distinguished. He reached up and touched his sandy hair. "Hair," he said to himself, as though he'd never seen it before in his life. "Hands" he said in amazement, turning them back and forth. "I can feel again!" he said excitedly, touching everything.

He turned and grinned at Luke. "I'm back," he said. "I'm really back. All the reminders of Vader are gone. I'm me again."

"I knew you could do it," laughed Luke. "From the moment you told me 'I am your father' I knew you were in there, somewhere under that mask, buried somewhere in all the hatred and anger. I could see you somehow…an echo of Anakin Skywalker, who you really were. I've always known, I guess…everyone told me my father was dead but I always felt deep down that he wasn't. Now I can actually see you with my own eyes. Welcome back Father!"  
"Come here you," said Anakin, pulling his son to him and giving him a bear hug. "I owe all of this to you. Thankyou my son."  
"No problem," Luke patted his father on the back and laughed. "Let's go back and find the others. Perhaps Leia will accept you better, now that you look like a real person."

"We can only hope," said Anakin, a glimmer of hope in his eye.

---

In the time Anakin and Luke had been gone, Leia had successfully set up office in the former Jedi temple and made it her base of operations. The Rebellion were slowly growing into a genuine government as they struggled to pull together the torn galaxy which had crumbled without the iron fist of Emperor Palpatine holding it together.

As Luke and Anakin entered Leia's office she had her back to them, communicating to someone via holoprojector and whoever the unfortunate person was, they were getting an earful.  
"I told you I wanted them delivered yesterday. No, I don't want to hear excuses. I expect them on my desk by thirteen hundred. Well get moving."  
"Leia's taking over the galaxy again," muttered Luke in amusement.  
"It runs in the family," pointed out Anakin. Luke snickered.

"Leia, we're back!" he called. She turned and her face broke into a smile when she saw her brother. "Luke!" She ran toward him. "Have you finished your mysterious project?"  
"Yeah," laughed Luke. Leia noticed the tall handsome man beside her brother.  
"Hello Leia," Anakin nodded and smiled.  
"Hello…I don't believe we've met before?" Leia put on her best diplomat smile and extended her hand.  
Luke was trying not to smirk, unsuccessfully. "What's so fu…?" Leia looked at her brother and then back at Anakin. "Wait a minute…where's Vader?" Luke tried very hard to hold in his laugh but spluttered.

"Oh god." Leia immediately snatched back her hand. "It's you." Her smile vanished instantly.  
"Wow," said Han, moving forward. "Now we know where you two have been hiding. Hey they really fixed you up pretty good there Vad…er, I mean, Anakin."  
"This is how I looked…before," said Anakin. "I was a little younger then of course."  
"It's still you," hissed Leia, her face a thundercloud. "This changes nothing. Don't think your pretty boy good looks are going to fool me. You may look different but you're the same person. You're still Darth Vader to me." She stormed from the room.

"Pretty boy?" said Han, staring after her.

Luke shrugged at Anakin. "Oh well. At least she liked you for the first three seconds. That's a start, right?"  
Anakin sighed. "I don't think she's ever going to forgive me."  
Luke put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay father. She can't carry this hate forever."

Chewie growled a comment. "Master Chewbacca would like to ask you, why do you care so much what Mistress Leia thinks of you?" Threepio translated.

"She's my daughter," Anakin said simply, staring after her hopelessly.


	6. Chapter 6: Facing Reality

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**A few messages once again:**

**Anarexia Streetwalker: You're being much too generous, YOU originated the post ROTJ Anakin healed story genre, you wrote yours exactly as ROTS came out, and mine came months after yours. Yeah, it sucks that the thief gets 400 comments for _our_ story and now the originals are a bit :sings Madonna: "seen it all before, seen it all before." My advice is to do what I'm doing, which is changing and rewriting every time I add a chapter. At least she didn't steal my ending like she did to you, so that part can stay the same.**

**VF Snake to answer your questions: Anakin doesn't need a manual LOL! He knows what to do! And it's not weird for him to be in the temple because didn't Palpatine take over the temple and make it his? I thought he did...it's in one of the EU novels isn't it? So my thinking is that Vader's been there tons of times. I'm sure Palp's main office was the Jedi Temple...now I have to go check...anyway...if I'm wrong...that's what happened in _this_ story LOL! And thankyou kindly for your nice reviews.**

Triss: You are SUCH a good writer, thanks so much for reading mine!

Padmeonpaper: Here comes the part you've been waiting for!

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Chapter Six - Facing Reality

Artoo rolled in and twittered excitedly at Anakin.

"Sir, it appears Artoo knows you. Though I have no idea what he's talking about," said Threepio. "I've never seen you before in my life."

Anakin frowned. "Luke told me your name is R2-D2. Are you the same R2-D2 who served in the Clone Wars?" Artoo beeped an affirmative. "Artoo!" cried Anakin. "It is you! You remember me?"  
Artoo tooted a reply. "It seems sir, that you were his former Master. Former Master?" Threepio looked at Artoo quizzically. "Artoo, our previous Master was Captain Antilles and you know it. Why are you forever making up former Masters? Master Kenobi had no idea who you were…"  
Artoo beeped. "_He _was not my Master," insisted Threepio prissily. "I think I'd remember something like that."

Anakin was wide eyed. "Threepio? Wait…you are See-Threepio?"  
"Why, yes sir, I am See-Threepio, human cyborg relations. Forgive me sir, but have we met before?"  
"Yeah," said Anakin, disbelieving. "We've met alright."

"I'm afraid I don't remember you at all sir."

Artoo beeped something at him. "Had my memory wiped? The very thought!" Threepio was appalled.  
"Oh my god…" said Anakin.

"You know them?" asked Han.  
"Yeah…" said Anakin. "Artoo was my personal droid during the Clone Wars. And Threepio – I built him!"  
"You BUILT him?" Han and Luke said in unison.  
"Yes!" cried Anakin. "I was a boy…I built him to help my mother. After I left my mother's family repaired him, and when I returned I took him with me…then he worked for Luke and Leia's mother...I can't believe this is the same droid!"  
"Well sir, in that case, if you are my maker then I am truly glad to see you again. Even though I'm afraid I don't have any recollection of you," said Threepio, looking very confused for a droid.  
"Oh god," said Han with a sudden realisation. "You mean all those times he said 'thank the maker' he was actually talking about Darth Vader?"  
"Yeah!" laughed Anakin. "This is amazing! Do you see Luke, this is what I'm talking about, the will of the force. My droids found their way to your sister, then to you, and now back to me."

"I don't believe it!" said Luke, shaking his head.

---

"How is your search going?'

"I have tracked them to Coruscant. They are staying in the former Jedi Temple."

"Good. My father's death must be avenged. Do what you must."

"Yes. There will be no escape this time."

---

Things were not going so well.

Several months had passed since the destruction of the Death Star. Anakin was slowly trying to settle into some semblance of a normal life, whatever that was.

Anakin wandered aimlessly around his new apartment. It reminded him too much of the one he'd shared…with her.

How could he go back to a normal life, when the only time life had been normal was with her?

He was haunted by Padme. For the last two decades he'd not had to think of her, or his guilt over killing her. He'd been busy, trying to delude himself into thinking he had a better life as Darth Vader. Taking over planets, destroying anyone and anything that got in his way – that was better than being a lowly Jedi, wasn't it? His love for Padme was nothing compared to the Dark Side.Or so he'd convinced himself. Anakin still found it hard to accept he'd spent all those years as Palaptine's whipping boy. Most times he couldn't face it, and had to distract himself with something else. He knew the time would come when he had to deal with the past, but it was still too raw for now.

As suddenly as it had begun, his life as Vader was over. There was some relief in that; and some fear. He no longer had his mask to hide behind, either physically or metaphorically. There was no Empire to back him up this time. He couldn't hide behind the false identity of Darth Vader anymore. It was just Anakin Skywalker, who had been there all along. There were no more excuses.

He had killed Padme. As Vader, he could tell himself it was her fault. She had not gone along with his plan. She was a traitor.She had brought Obi-Wan to kill him. What choice did he have? She deserved it. Yes, that was what Vader believed. But Anakin knew better. Anakin knew he had lost his temper and choked her, simply because he was not getting his own way. It was as simple as that. How could he live with that?

In some way it felt like the last 25 years had been a dream. Vader never existed and Anakin had woken up, his mind still there in Mustafar where the dream...or nightmare...had begun. He was not the middle aged father he was pretending to be. Anakin was still the 25 year oldyoung man who felt lost and alone.He tried to just move on and begin a new life. But now, back in the physical form of Anakin Skywalker, it was impossible to ignore the old life. Everything brought back memories to him.

Leia was another constant, painful reminder of Padme. Not only was she physically similar to her mother, she had the same fire in her eyes, the same drive to make things right in the universe. It hurt Anakin to look at her. And even more so because Leia still carried a blinding rage toward him.If anything, she had become more enraged as time went on. It seemed unlikely she would ever get over her hatred, let alone want a relationship with him.

As Anakin stepped out onto his new terrace and looked out into the busy Coruscant sky, a memory flashed inside his mind, unbidden.

_Padme stood on the terrace, watching the sun set over Coruscant._

_Anakin leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she stood, noting how the golden light hit the highlights in her hair._

_"Beautiful, isn't it?" he finally spoke up. _

Padme jumped and turned around. She smiled when she realized it was him.

"You startled me."

Anakin joined her on the terrace. His eyes ran over her swollen belly. Already he felt so much love for this little one, whose face he'd never even seen. "_How are you feeling?" he asked his wife with concern._

_"He keeps kicking." _

"He!" Anakin grinned."Why do you think it's a boy?"

Padme simply laughed. "My motherly intuition."

She took his hand and placed it on her belly.

_"Whoa! With a kick that strong, it's got to be a girl."_

_Padme laughed. "It's a boy. I'm sure of it."_

_"Who's the Jedi here?" Anakin said, taking her hands. "It's a girl, I can sense it."_

_"Boy."_

_"Girl!"_

_"Well we'll just have to wait and see."_

_"Yes, and you will see I'm right."_

_"Mister Knowitall!" Padme playfully swatted him across the chest. "Okay then, smarty. What will we call "her" then?"_

_"Padme Junior?"_

_"Anakin!" Padme giggled. "Be serious. __I was thinking it might be nice to name her after your mother. What do you think of the name Shmi?"_

_Anakin was a little shaken at the sudden mention of his mother. It was still a sore point for him, even though several years had passed. "I...that's a wonderful idea Padme. Really wonderful. But I don't want to use the name Shmi.It was not her real name."_

_"It wasn't?"_

_"No, that was her slave name. Slaves were often given new names by their Masters. Shmi is Huttese for 'owned one', or 'possession'. It was a common name for slaves at that time."_

_"Oh. I didn't know that. Well...what was her real name then?_

_"Leia."_

Anakin didn't realize he had tears running down his face. He blinked himself back to reality. It had been so long since he'd had a memory like this. Darth Vader never thought about his former life. Anakin didn't want to remember that moment. It was the last thing in the universe he wanted to remember! What had once been one of the happiest moments of his life...now the most painful. They had so looked forward to Leia's birth. Now Padme was gone and Leia despised him.

He wanted Leia's love. In a way it would be like having a piece of Padme back again. His mother too. But it was something he could never have. It would be a miracle if she would just stop _hating _him, let alone love him.

There was one positive part of that memory. Padme had been right, there _was_ a boy...

Luke was the one bright spot in Anakin's lonely new life. He was such a fine man. Even becoming a famous hero had not affected him. Anakin recalled back to his younger days, when he was known all over the galaxy as "The hero with no fear." Oh what a swollen head Anakin had when he heard that! He chuckled to himself. He'd been such a headstrong, overconfident…_cocky - _yes that was the word - young man. Luke was different. He had no trace of ego about him, just quiet humility - more like Obi-Wan…

Or his mother.

He saw her face sometimes. Walking through the busy streets of Coruscant, he would see someone who looked like her. Anakin would chase her for a moment, about to call her name when it would dawn on him.

She was gone.

And he had killed her.

---

Luke was torn.

All his life, he'd never had a real family. Now he had a sister and a father.

Whatever that meant.

His sister had become some kind of obsessive whirlwind, never stopping, never sitting, always on the holonet to some politician or dignitary, constantly in one meeting or another. She seemed to think the entire fate of the galaxy rested on her shoulders, and that if she stopped for one moment it would all fall apart. Luke wondered when she found time to eat or sleep, let alone spend time with her loved ones.

Luke had known Leia for years, but the knowledge that she was his sister was still fairly new to him. He so wanted to get to know her as family, but she never had time. Or maybe, she didn't want to face where she came from. Maybe she was running from it.

Luke worried about her, not only because she was so driven, but because of her relentless hatred of their father. Luke could not speak his name in her presence. She would have nothing to do with him. Another thing that made it impossible for Luke to get close to her. As long as Luke kept seeing his father, Leia did not want much to do with Luke.

Their last encounter had not gone so well.

_"Please Leia. Give him a chance..."_

_"NO!" The vehemence in her voice startled Luke. She had always been fiesty and hot tempered, but this..._

_"He's changed, Leia."_

_"Someone like him can never change."_

_"At least speak to him. Just for a few minutes. Give him a chance to explain his side..."_

_"His side? HIS SIDE? What about MY side Luke? You weren't THERE in that room on the Death Star. You didn't see what he did to me with that interrogation droid..." Leia's eyes appeared haunted for a moment._

_"I know what he did Leia..."_

_"Then how can you just buddy up with him and pretend nothing happened? After what he did to me? What kind of brother are you? You should be on MY side, not his!"_

_Luke tried to remain calm. "I'm not taking anyone's side."_

_"Yes you ARE Luke. You bring that bastard into my life and parade him around in front of me, then you have the NERVE to ask me to accept him and play happy families with him. And I'm just supposed to forget what happened there on the Death Star."_

_"Nobody's asking you to forget Leia. Just to TRY to forgive..."_

_"I'M NOT FORGIVING HIM!"_

_Luke blinked and looked at her. Her face was red and her eyes wild._

_"Then you're only hurting yourself," he told her._

_It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, given her mood._

_"Get out, Luke," she said icily._

_"Leia, I -"_

_"Just get out. GET OUT!" Leia picked up a comlink and hurled it at him._

_"Hey!" Luke ducked and looked at her in horror. He had to use the Force to deflect the datapad that was now flying at his head._

_"GET OUT LUKE!"_

No, it hadn't gone well at all. Luke wasn't even sure they were still on speaking terms.

Like Leia wasn't giving him enough headaches, then there was Anakin.

Anakin seemed to be struggling with his new life. Once the excitement of his new body had worn off, it seemed Anakin was faced with the shock of trying to live as a normal man. Or maybe he was finally faced with himself, Luke wasn't sure.

He seemed...depressed. When Luke went to visit him, he just seemed lost. It was difficult to even believe this quiet, gentle man had ever been Darth Vader. If only Leia could see him like this, she would change her mind.

There were times when Luke thought his father wanted to say something, but couldn't. Something was going on, something more than what Anakin was willing to reveal. Was it because of Leia? Or their mother? Or something else?

Luke was worried about him. What if Anakin couldn't handle this and returned to his old life?

Luke was determined to bring his family back together. He'd do it, somehow.

If there was one thing Luke Skywalker was good at, it was achieving the impossible.


	7. Chapter 7: The Truth

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Hello everyone and I'd like to thank you all for your support!**

**SSG Michael B Jackson: Thanks so much for your comments, I enjoy reading them. I look forward to getting to your fic as soon as I catch up to it!**

**Grace: Thanks for stopping by! To answer your question: yes, I suppose they shouldn't say "oh god." But to be honest, it's a pet peeve of mine when fanfics say "Oh gods" or "Oh the Force," or even "Oh Maker!" To me it sounds unnatural and it snaps you out of the story for a second. I prefer to stick to normal language, that's just me, and "Oh my god" is a more natural thing to say. Thanks for the feedback and hope you're enjoying the story.**

**Faith: Thanks! Your poems are so pretty.**

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Chapter Seven – The Truth

_She screamed._

_The needle pierced her skin, sending poison coursing through her body._

_The pincers burned her as she writhed and tried to get away._

_There was nowhere to go._

_The whole time he stood over her. __He showed no mercy._

_All she could see or hear was him._

_His voice was everywhere.__He was inside her mind._

_She fought. She refused to let him in. _

_She was strong. She would not break._

_She would not tell._

_"TELL ME PRINCESS!"_

_"Never."_

_She imagined him smiling behind that cruel mask, as the sick black machine floated in front of her, finding new definitions of pain within her body._

_She felt him searching her mind._

_Get out!_

_He saw many things. Private things. All her memories._

_But not them. She would not betray them._

_He could kill her but she would not let him win. He would not find what he was looking for._

_He pushed harder against her mind. She summoned what was left of her strength and pushed back._

_And suddenly she could see into_ him

_"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?"_

_She saw the blade rise._

_No! He's only a baby!_

_NO!_

_"I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart. I'll never stop loving you, but you are going down a path I can't follow." _

"Because of Obi-Wan?"

"Because of what you've done . . . what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you."

_"Let her go, Anakin!"_

_She saw her mother fall._

_NO!_

Leia sat up, drenched in sweat and breathing hard.

It was only a dream.

Except it wasn't a dream. It had all really happened.

It was six years ago now. But she still saw it as clearly as if happened yesterday.

Leia looked down beside her. Han was fast asleep.

She got up and headed for the 'fresher. She stood under the steaming hot water, scrubbing herself as if she could wash him out of her.

But she couldn't. He was a part of her. He was in her very blood.

She could still hear the children screaming.

---

Leia was not happy.

Why were they all in her office? Why was HE in her office?

Somehow Luke had talked her into this. How, she wasn't sure.

The five of them sat in Leia's office around a selection of take away dishes such as roast bantha and gundark soup while Luke tried desperately to make everyone get along and pretend things were perfectly normal.

Leia frantically pounded away on her datapad, ignoring the others' pleas for her to relax and enjoy her dinner. Apart from trying to sort out the galaxy's problems, she was not enthused about sharing a meal with Darth Vader. She couldn't believe Han and Luke could just forget everything and sit there eating dinner like old pals. Well, just because they were stupid didn't mean she was.

Technically speaking, she was here against her will. What could she do when everyone just turned up in her office? She could have walked out…but it was _her_ office! Why should she?

She couldn't believe that _she_ was beginning to come off as the bad guy in all of this. Even _Han _was starting to take Vader's side. And now Chewie! What was wrong with all of them? Couldn't they see that he was still the same sick murderer he'd always been? Were they so fooled by this new handsome façade?

So what if he didn't wear the black helmet anymore? It was still _him._

She shuddered, remembering her nightmare. She had seen what he was capable off, in and out of the mask.

Earlier that day, she'd seen him. He was standing in a hallway alone, probably waiting for Luke.

_What if I just killed him, here and now? _she found herself thinking. _I could just pull out my blaster...problem solved. Goodbye Darth Vader._

She toyed with her weapon. _Nobody's around...they wouldn't even know it was me. And so what if they did? Princess Leia kills Darth Vader. I'd be a hero!_

All she had to do was take that shot and it would be all over. No more nightmares. She pulled it out.

She had the perfect shot. She lined him up in her sights.

Suddenly the weapon was gone from her hand. What the...

Leia spun around and found Chewbacca holding her blaster.

"Chewie! What are you DOING?"

/I can't let you do that/ he growled.

"Why?" she hissed, her blood boiling.

/I owe him a life debt./

"A WHAT? How can you owe _him_ a life debt?"

/On Bespin. I threw a fit over Han, and Boba Fett aimed his gun to kill me. Vader stopped him./

Leia had just stared at him with a look of disbelief, shock, horror, confusion and rage on her face all at once. She couldn't even speak from rage.

It was RIDICULOUS the way everyone got suckered in by him. The man had hurt each and every one of them, but they all just opened their arms and let him

And now she had to actually sit and share dinner with him?

Why was Luke always bugging her to forgive him anyway? Why the hell did it mean so much to him? Didn't he understand what it was like to know that half of you was pure evil? Luke was in such denial. He needed to see his father as a good man to see _himself_ as a good man.

Leia wasn't that naïve.

She'd sit there, but she wasn't about to join in and make friendly chit-chat. No way.

"Father, tell me more about our family," Luke was saying. "Who were your parents?"  
"My mother was a slave named Shmi Skywalker. She was… the most wonderful woman." Leia pricked up her ears at the mention of her grandmother and listened curiously, whilst pretending not to.  
"The best mother a kid could ask for," continued Anakin. "We were slaves to a Toydarian called Watto. We didn't have much but we were always happy. It was just the two of us, until the Jedi came and freed me. I didn't see her again until years later when she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. I tried to rescue her…but it was too late."

"Oh that's so sad!" exclaimed Han. Chewie and Luke both turned and frowned at him curiously. Even Leia raised an eyebrow from above her datapad.  
"I mean…uh, I mean," said Han gruffly, puffing himself up. "That it's…well it _is_ sad."  
"Thankyou Han," said Anakin. "I didn't take it too well as you can imagine. I slaughtered the entire Tusken tribe."  
"Good for you," said Han over a mouthful. "I would have done the same."  
"Well I was a Jedi," sighed Anakin. "I should not have done it."  
Han shrugged. "I still would have."

"Who was your father?" Luke changed the subject.

Anakin shrugged. "I never had a father."

"You mean you don't know who he is?"  
"No, I mean there was no father. It was a strange anomaly in the force. My mother simply became pregnant," said Anakin.  
"That's not possible," scoffed Han. Leia rolled her eyes.  
"The Jedi said that it was the midichlorians trying to cause balance in the force. I was supposed to be a chosen one, created by the force itself."  
"What the heck are midichlorians?" asked Han.  
"They are the organisms that carry the force," explained Anakin. "We all have them, but Jedi carry them in higher concentrations which is how we get our powers."  
"So that's what it is," realized Han. "That's a bit more scientific than the hokey rubbish Obi-Wan always spouted. That I can believe."

"How did you become a Jedi?" asked Luke.

"A Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, crashed landed on Tatooine…"

Leia focused her attention back on her work. She was not the slightest bit interested in hearing about her evil father's former life. She became engrossed in her data pad instead.

"…we defeated Count Dooku, and it seemed that the Jedi were winning the war."

"You sound like you were some big time hero," said Han, who had been hanging on every word of the story. "How did you get so evil, or dark sideish, or whatever it's called?"  
Anakin sighed. "I was tricked by Palpatine. He was head of the Senate at the time, and worked closely with the Jedi. I didn't know it at the time, but he was grooming me to be his new apprentice. He placed thoughts in my mind, made me doubt the Jedi Council..."

Leia tried very hard to block out his words. She did not want to hear Vader's pathetic excuses for why he had thrown his life away, and become such a monster. She considered getting up and leaving the room. She was only sitting there because it seemed so important to Luke.

"…I turned on everyone, including Luke and Leia's mother…"

Leia's skin crawled at the mention of her name. How _dare _he even _speak _her name? She stopped listening and returned to her messages.

"…I loved her so much…I still don't know why I did it. Obi-Wan came, he tried to stop me, but we fought, and as you know, I ended up face first in lava, burning alive. Palpatine rescued me, and had me put into the suit to survive. After that I was his slave. I lost much of my strength in the force."

"You lost your abilities in the force because you were injured?" asked Luke.  
"Yes, I think so," said Anakin. "But also more because I lost my will to live. I just didn't care anymore. Without Padme...I just gave up and blindly followed Palpatine."

"Oh Father," sympathized Luke.

"I was never quite the same after I lost your mother. Sometimes I still can't believe she's dead."

"Dead? My mother isn't dead!" said Leia absently, absorbed in her datapad.  
"What!" Luke and Anakin turned to her in shocked surprise.  
"Yes she is," said Anakin. "The Emperor told me. I saw the funeral on a holovid."

"No she's not," murmured Leia, still concentrating on her work. "She's very much alive and living on Naboo." She was met with stunned silence from Luke and Anakin. Han and Chewie looked confused.

Leia looked up, suddenly realizing what she had told them. "I shouldn't have told you that," she said with wide eyes, looking at Anakin. She shook her head in horror. "I shouldn't…oh I shouldn't have…oh God…"

Anakin slowly rose and took her by the shoulders.

"_Are you telling me that Padme is still alive?"_


	8. Chapter 8: Confessions

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Mandalore Windu: There are some great threads on the Official Star Wars website that might interest you: "Was Mace turning to the Dark Side" is a good place to start. There's a big debate on that very topic. And Vaapad comes very close to the dark side, making him a rather dark character IMO. It's not a plot hole, it's a difference of opinion. And technically speaking, it's _Anakin's_ opinion within the story. You don't have to agree with him, and if you don't like it then perhaps don't read the chapter after this one cos you really won't like that ;) Seriously dude: it's FICTION!**

**Triss: You are the first person to say that! When I originally posted this, everyone kept saying "Make Leia forgive him!" I'm with you, it's unrealistic after everything he did to her!**

**Thanks for all the nice comments you guys!**

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CHAPTER SEVEN - Confessions

Leia was stubbornly silent, looking at her father with untrusting eyes. "You must tell me," Anakin urged.  
"Yes," said Luke, also rising. "If she's still alive we deserve to know."  
"Ohhhh," groaned Leia, clasping her hands over her face. "Oh NO! Me and my big mouth. I suppose now I have to explain."  
"Yes you do," said Anakin and Luke in unison.

"Explanations would be good," chipped in Han.

"Well…oh I shouldn't be telling you this…my mother was forced to fake her own death after Anak…HE… became Vader," explained Leia with an accusing stare at her father. "Obi-Wan and Yoda knew she was in terrible danger. She nearly died after Luke and I were born, and she was in a coma for many months. They didn't think she would make it. Luke was sent to his aunt and uncle, and I was sent with the Organas. They even held a fake funeral with one of mother's decoy handmaidens, just to be sure Vader would never come looking for her." Luke and Anakin continued to stand in shock, Luke's mouth hanging open.

"You…how...how do you…. _know_ all this?" Luke finally spluttered.

"I've always known," Leia told him. "I was raised by the Organas but I have always known my mother. I didn't see her often, it was too dangerous for her to come out of hiding, but I knew I was adopted and I knew who she was."  
"B-but…b-b-but…" stammered Luke. "What about what you told me on Endor? That your mother died when you were very young? What was _THAT_?"  
"Oh," blushed Leia. "Well I didn't know you were my _brother _when I said that. I was just repeating the story I've been telling all my life. By the time I realized that I had been talking about your mother too, well, you were off to fight Vader! I was going to tell you later, but we were kind of caught up with fighting Stormtroopers and sabotaging shield generators and generally defeating the Empire. You know, that kind of thing really keeps you busy."

Luke ignored her sarcasm and stared at her. "You didn't know you were my sister then?"  
Leia shook her head. "No, I was never told I had a brother. Like I told you at the time though, somewhere deep down I did know. I sensed it. But I didn't know consciously, no. I always thought I was the only one.It does explain a lot of things, why mother was so sad all the time…"

"But you knew all along that Anakin was your father." Han interjected.  
Leia sighed and glared at Anakin. "Well, I learned that later in life when I became a Senator."  
"You _KNEW_?" gasped Luke. Anakin looked at her inquisitively.  
"Didn't you wonder why I never reacted to finding out he was my father when you told me on Endor? I was horrified when I first found out, as you can imagine. I used to see Vader at the Senate meetings, throwing his weight around. I knew the things he had done. I just decided in my mind that Bail Organa was my father, and to never acknowledge that the cruel psycho in the black suit could ever be related to me. I still can't really accept it," she finished, giving another dark look towards the former Vader.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me he was your father?" asked Luke, incredulous.  
"It wasn't exactly something I wanted to advertise." Leia rolled her eyes. "He was your enemy, why would I want you to know I'm related to him? Besides, I never thought about him. Even when you told me he was your father I didn't connect right away that it meant _we_ were related. I've never really considered him as my father." Her eyes narrowed in another hostile glare in Anakin's direction.

Anakin was still standing in frozen silence. "She's….she's alive?" he whispered.  
Leia sighed, furious at herself. "Yes. I should never have told you! How do I know you've really changed, that you won't try to kill her like you did before?"  
"He tried to kill her?" asked Luke, looking back and forth between them, trying desperately to catch up with all the new information.  
"Yeah," said Leia through gritted teeth. "He used one of those force choke holds on her and choked her until she passed out. If Obi-Wan hadn't stopped him, all three of us would be dead right now."  
"All three?" asked Han.  
"Yeah," spat Leia in disgust. "She was pregnant at the time."

Anakin was met by horrified gasps from Luke and Han. He put his head down. "I don't really know what to say," he said. "I never meant to hurt her. I loved her. The dark side….you don't know what it's like until you're caught in it. It changes you, changes your mind. It twisted my love for her into something terrible. I believed she was against me. I believed that she and Obi-Wan were conspiring to destroy me. I even thought they might be having an affair together. Of course I know now that they were trying to help me, they were the two people I loved most in the world and who loved me. But I was so consumed…I can't make excuses for anything I did. But I feel that a fog has lifted from me and I can see again. I can think again."

Leia looked at him suspiciously, not sure whether to believe his story. "I don't know…"  
"Please Leia," said Anakin earnestly. "You must take me to her!"  
"_Take you to her? After what you did?_ She's spent more than two standarddecades _hiding_ from you. How the hell do you expect her to face you now? Should she just invite you in for jawa juice and pretend it never happened?" Leia was aghast.  
Anakin lowered his head. "She may not want to see me. She may tell me to leave her and never come back. But I must try. We loved each other once. At least, I must apologize to her and show her that I have returned from the dark side."  
Leia stared at him. "I really don't think so. I shouldn't have even told you she's alive."

Anakin reached to grab her, to shake her and force the answer out of her, then thought better of it. _No. That is what Vader would have done._ What was it Obi-Wan had always told him about patience? "I understand," he nodded quietly. "I will wait as long as it takes for you to trust me."

"That," said Leia, her eyes cold. "Will be a very long time. If at all. Which I doubt."

---

"I see you have learned the truth about Padme."

"Hello again, Obi-Wan," said Anakin, swiveling around to face the glowing form of his former Master.

"Yes...Leia let it slip out earlier today."

"And how do you feel about this?"

Anakin thought for a moment. "You were wise to hide her from me. She was not safe. I would have never given up until I found her. And I don't know what I would have done to her if I had."  
Obi-Wan nodded. "This is what I thought."

"Part of me thinks that perhaps if I had known, I could have been saved earlier. I would have had a reason to come back. But if I am honest with myself, I know that my anger very likely would have killed her. And Palpatine would not have let me leave so easily. He would have come after bothof us.You did the right thing."

"I'm glad you see it that way," said Obi-Wan.

"But why did you take the children from her?" Anakin questioned him. "Was that her decision or yours?"  
"Ours, I'm afraid," said Obi-Wan. "She was in a coma. We didn't expect her to live. Yoda and I thought it best if the children were separated and hidden from you and the Emperor."  
"Probably a smart idea," sighed Anakin. "Together they would have created such a presence in the force that we may have sensed them."  
"Exactly our thoughts," agreed Obi-Wan. "Jedi twins are much stronger than normal Jedi, especially when together. They would have stood out greatly."

"I understand. I just feel so sad for Padme, what she went through, losing her children like that. She wanted those babies. She deserved so much better."  
"Yes she did Anakin," said Obi-Wan pointedly.  
"So did everyone," mumbled Anakin, his head hanging. "I'm still trying to fix everything."  
"Good Anakin. We have been watching you and you are making great strides. In that case, I have spoken with Yoda and we have a project for you," advised Obi-Wan.

"A project?"

"Yes, we would like you to continue Luke's training."  
Anakin was speechless. "Train Luke? I – I can't. I'm too close to the dark side..."  
"That is precisely the point," said Obi-Wan.  
"What…why? You want Luke to train in the dark side?"  
"Not as such. Yoda and I have had many years to deliberate on what went wrong with the Jedi Order."

"I can answer that," said Anakin. "Me."

"Well yes Anakin, but there's more to it than that. What was lacking in our training, that a Dark Lord of the Sith was able to walk amongst us and not one of us knew it? What was missing that made it so easy for you to be turned?"  
"What? What was missing?"  
"Yoda and I now believe that we made an error by not studying the dark side. We were taught to suppress any dark side emotions. We didn't learn what it was or how to recognize it."  
"And you want me to train Luke in the dark side so he will learn about it? What if he can't come back?" asked Anakin in concern.  
"I don't want you to turn Luke to the dark side. I want you to _teach_ him about it, while continuing his Jedi training as you were taught. How the dark side works, how it feels, how to recognize and prevent it."

"Why me?"

"Who else?" said Obi-Wan. "There are no Jedi left. Yoda and I are limited in what we can teach. And we have no experience in the dark side. You are the only one who can train him."  
"I'll talk to Luke about it," said Anakin, still feeling hesitant. "I will see what his thoughts are and if he agrees, we will begin the training."


	9. Chapter 9: Facing Facts

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Padmeonpaper: Ok here's the thing: it's ALTERNATE universe. Alllllttterrnnaaattte! That means I don't have to stick to the canon. It's not canon, or else Anakin would be dead too. We watched him become deader than a doornail too! Anyway we didn't see Padme die, we saw her drop back and close her eyes. Maybe she was just unconscious. Or just really really tired. But anywho...it's ALTERNATE! Alternate I say! Maybe Luke will become a ballerina in my next chapter! And Leia will marry Salacious Crumb!**

**The Spooky Mulder: Thanks! Don't worry, I've rewritten this story so much now it doesn't matter anymore. LOL, you really don't like my Leia hahaha! **

**VFSNAKE : Die? ROFLOL! **

**SSG Michael B Jackson: Ahh, you're a wise one, nothing gets past you ;) She's making progress...or is she? Maybe she's getting WORSE!** **Who knows!**

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CHAPTER EIGHT - Facing Facts

"Leia…what you told us about our mother…is it all true? She's alive?"

It had been a day since Leia's confession in her office. The news hadn't yet completely sunk in for Luke yet.

"Yes Luke," she sighed. "I was going to tell you when the time was right. I certainly did not mean to blurt it out in front of Vader like I did. Oh Luke, do you really believe he has changed? Have I put her in danger?" Leia's face was a picture of despair and worry.

"She's in no danger," Luke assured her. "Didn't you see his reaction when you told us? He loves her, I believe that."

"I don't believe that man could love anyone."

"You have to give him a _chance_," signed Luke in frustration.  
"I don't _have _to do anything," said Leia, eyebrows raised in warning. "Luke, how can you honestly just expect me to forget everything he's done, and just welcome him with open arms, as you have? All the people he's killed, the lives he's ruined?"

"I've killed people too," pointed out Luke.  
"Oh that's different," scoffed Leia. "You haven't killed innocent people."  
"Yes I have. All those people on the Death Star. There were millions of people on there."  
"They were all working for the Empire," said Leia airily, waving her hand dismissively.  
"Yes but not all of them were military," said Luke. "There were innocent people – cleaners and builders and such."

"Oh Luke, they have _droids_ for that stuff." Leia rolled her eyes.  
Luke looked at her, exasperated. "Oh Leia, can't you put yourself in his shoes? Haven't you ever done something you regret? Something you're sorry for?"  
"Nothing like THAT," said Leia stubbornly.  
Luke sighed. "Leia, if you keep on with this way of thinking, you are heading for the dark side yourself."

"_ME_?" Leia was mortified. "How can you even _say _such a thing?"

"You are Force sensitive just like us. If you hold on to this anger and hatred and refuse to forgive, you will become no better than Vader and the Emperor."

"Luke, you don't know what you're talking about. I am _nothing _like them, and I don't intend to ever be." Leia's eyes were flashing. "Excuse me for not being able to forgive a man who tortured me for hours. Who also tortured Han, and sent him to Jabba. Who held me back as my home was destroyed. Who tried to kill my mother. Who separated me from my family. Who used me as bait to catch my brother. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Don't push me on this, Luke."

"Okay," Luke sighed in resignation. He knew better, after the last time they'd had this conversation."If you want to carry all this anger and hate, then do it. I just hate to see you denying yourself the chance to know your father."

"Don't – " Leia looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't. "Just don't."

---

"Have you made your move yet?"

"I have not had a clear shot at her. She has not left the temple."

"I have received word that there will be a meeting of the Galactic Senate today. She will be there. This is your chance."

"I will not fail."

---

"Today is the first meeting of the Senate since the Emperor disbanded it," Leia told everyone, her hands behind her back as she paced back and forth. "Leaders from all over the galaxy will come together to discuss how this new Republic will be managed. I would like you all to be there."

"Do I have to wear a suit?" complained Han.

"Will…all of us be attending?" said Anakin tentatively.

"Yes, you too Vader."  
"Anakin…" he prompted gently.  
"Or Father," added Luke.  
"Vader." Leia said with a pointed look. "Though it may come as a shock to you to see how a democracy works, I think you should be there to explain to the galaxy who you are, what happened to the Emperor and what you plan to do now. More to the point, you should also stand trial for your war crimes."

"Le-ia," objected Luke. "Let it go already."

Anakin sighed. "No Luke, she is right, the Senate must decide my fate. I do have a lot of explaining to do, and reparations to make. I will not hide from it."

"That's right you won't," said Leia. "I will expect you all there at 14:00 standard time. And yes Han, you have to wear a suit."

---

Leia paced back and forth across the room. "Where are Luke and Vader? I implicitly told them to meet at 14:00."

"We're here," Luke appeared in the door. "And it's only 14:01."

Han shifted uncomfortably in his suit. "The things I do for this woman," he muttered to himself. Chewie howled in agreement.

"Now, I don't need to remind you how important this is."

"Yes, Leia," Han, Luke and Anakin chorused.

"The future of the New Republic depends on us working out an agreement."

"Yes, Leia."

"Well, let's get moving!"

"Yes, Leia." Leia marched from the room with Han, Chewie, Luke and Anakin following like younglings.

"She runs a tight ship, doesn't she?" Anakin muttered out the side of his mouth. Han swallowed a laugh. He was starting to like this guy, despite himself.

---

He was waiting for them. The assassin lined up his sights and took aim.

They had only walked a few feet when Anakin and Luke both stopped, sensing a dark intent. "Leia," they both said at once. Both turned and ran for her, but Anakin was closest. He sensed the blast approaching and reached for his lightsaber, remembering with a jolt that he'd lost it - along with his arm - down the shaft on the Death Star. He threw himself at Leia, knocking her to the ground as the blast struck him on the shoulder. He rolled and cried in pain, but pulled himself together enough to crawl over Leia and protect her with his body. Han immediately drew his blaster, looking around frantically for the source of the blast. Another blast shot out, but this time Luke got there in time and deflected the blast with his lightsaber. Han fired blindly.

There was silence. "I think he's gone," said Han, standing in a defensive position.  
"Yes," agreed Luke, extinguishing his lightsaber. "I can't sense his presence anymore. But who was it?"  
"It could have been anyone," replied Han. "We have a lot of enemies. Someone sympathetic to the Empire perhaps?

Leia was still lying curled up under Anakin. "Get OFF me," she hissed, trying to wriggle out from under him. "_I don't need your protection_." Anakin raised himself to his feet with difficulty, holding his injured shoulder.  
"Are you okay, Father?" Luke rushed to his side, as Han ran to Leia, equally anxious.  
"Yes, yes I'm fine," groaned Anakin.

"We need to get inside, in case our little friend with the blaster comes back," said Han, helping Leia to her feet and ushering her in.  
"Come on Father," said Luke. "Can you walk?"  
"Yes, really it's nothing," insisted Anakin.

Once inside Luke was adamant that he take a look at Anakin's injury. Anakin reluctantly removed his hand and allowed Luke to inspect. Underneath was a very nasty blaster burn.

"Oh!" cried Luke. "You're really hurt! We need to get you to a med droid right away."  
"Oh Luke," scoffed Anakin. "It's nothing. I've spent half my life covered in burns. This little thing doesn't even bother me."  
"Oh really?" said Han, grabbing Anakin's shoulder and squeezing it hard.  
"Aiiiieeeearrghghh!" screamed Anakin in agony. He looked at Han in horror. "What'd you do THAT for?"  
"Doesn't seem like nothing to me," Han said. "You should get that looked at." He walked over to Chewie. "Finally got him back for Bespin," he muttered under his breath to Chewie, who barked a laugh. "Luke, take him back to the med center that fixed his face. We'll go to the Senate meeting."

"Okay," nodded Luke.  
"No," protested Anakin. "Whoever shot at us was after Leia. Luke, you need to stay with her."  
"I can protect her," said Han confidently.  
"I know that Han, but you need Luke's Jedi skills to detect an attack. No, Luke you must stay with your sister."

"We'll be fine," Leia said stubbornly. "Luke go with Vader, Han and Chewie will take care of me. We'll move fast. Come on." With that she strode towards the door.  
Han shrugged. "You heard the lady."

Leia stopped and turned back.  
"Oh, and if you think that your little rescue attempt is going to change my mind about you Vader, you're sadly wrong," she added. "For all I know that was one of your cronies who shot at me."  
"Oh Leia," sighed Anakin. "When are you going to realize that I am here to protect you, not kill you?"  
"The only protection I need is protection from YOU," snarled Leia.  
"Leia, he saved your life!" protested Luke. "And he got hurt doing it. What more can you ask from him!"

"I've already told him, to _stay away from me."_

_---_

The Senate Chamber buzzed with the sound of thousands of voices once again filling its walls.

Mon Mothma's calm voice resounded through the chamber.

"I hereby call to order the first Senate meeting of the New Republic." She was greeted with thunderous applause.

"As you know, Emperor Palpatine is dead and the Empire with him." More applause, undertoned by booing from the minority factions still loyal to the old Empire.

"For over twenty five years, the Rebellion has been dedicated to the restoration of freedom and democracy throughout the galaxy. We began as the Delegation of 2000, founded by several great names as the late Bail Organa and Padme Naberrie Amidala." The crowd whooped and cheered.

"As you well know, Bail Organa's adopted daughter Princess Leia joined our cause early in life. She has worked tirelessly for our Rebellion, and was instrumental in its downfall. It is my great honor to present to you, Princess Leia Organa.

Leia rose from her place beside Mon. The moving podium they travelled in glided forward as she waved to the roaring crowd of senators.

"Thankyou Mon. It is a privilege to be here, to be certain. For the past decade the Rebellion has been my life. To finally see victory is indescribable." Her words were greeted with approval from the crowd.

"I cannot accept all the responsibility myself. A fine team of dedicated heroes have worked together to bring down the Empire. I'd like to introduce Han Solo, who led the misson to destroy the Death Star's shields."

The Senate erupted in applause as Han uncomfortably rose and waved awkwardly, before hastily taking his seat inside the floating podium.

"Lando Calrissian and Admiral Ackbar, who successfully fought Imperial Forces and destroyed the Death Star with Palpatine in it."

The podiums for Bespin and Mon Callamari respectively moved to the forefront, with Lando enjoying every second of the attention he received. He gave a theatric bow as the podium glided back to its position.

"My brother, Luke Skywalker, could not be with us today..." A murmur rippled through the crowd at this unexpected piece of news.

"But I'd like to mention him for his bravery on the Death Star, facing the Emperor himself."

"And what of Darth Vader?" a Bothan representative called out. There was instant agreement from surrounding senators.

Leia's skin rankled at the sound of his name. She ground her teeth. She had been looking forward to presenting Anakin to the crowd - and seeing him crucified.

"Yeah, where is he?"

"What do you say to reports that he escaped the Death Star?"

"Is he dead or alive?"

What should she say? That she knew exactly where he was, in a medical facility downtown? That he was her _father_? Then she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Better to play dumb for now, and get him later.

"Ahem," Leia cleared her throat. "At this current stage I do not know the precice whereabouts of Darth Vader." Well, that wasn't entirely a lie. She didn't know the _exact_ location of the med center. A grumble of disapproval echoed through the chamber.

"I assure you we are doing all we can to locate him and ensure he will be brought to justice."

The crowd went wild again with raucous cheering.


	10. Chapter 10: Training

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**To the Mace fans: Get over it.**

**Padmeonpaper: SLAP! Ok, I slapped Leia for you ;)**

**VFSNAKE: Your comments crack me up every time! LOL! You are hilarious!**

**Triss33: Well at least YOU get it! ;)**

**Arie: ROFLOL that little scene would fit PERFECTLY into this story! Can I steal it? LOL.**

**Darthrevan: Ok here's more but only because you've been good hehehe :)**

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CHAPTER NINE - Training

"Luke, I didn't tell you earlier but I had another visit from Obi-Wan," said Anakin in the med center, having his shoulder bandaged and repaired with synth-skin.  
"You did? What did he tell you?"

"He had…a special project for me."

"A project?"  
"Yes…Obi-Wan would like me to continue your Jedi training. I'm not sure –"  
Luke's face broke into a huge grin. "He said that? That would be great!"  
"Really Luke?" Anakin was still uncertain. "I just think it might be a bit risky. It hasn't been all that long since I was still under the dark side's influence. And you yourself came quite close. I'm worried – "  
"But Father, who better to train me? You are the only living Jedi that remains. You are my father. And you're the only one who can truly teach me how to avoid the dark side."  
Anakin looked at him curiously. "Funny, that's exactly what Obi-Wan said. You haven't spoken to him by any chance?"  
Luke shook his head. "No Father, I have not seen him since the night of the party. Why, what did he say?"

Anakin paused. "Obi-Wan believes that the Jedi did not fully understand the dark side, and that is – in part – to blame for their downfall. I have to say, perhaps he is right. All I was ever taught during my training, was that the dark side is dangerous and to stay away from it. I didn't understand it, and so I didn't fully recognize it when it was near me."

Luke looked troubled. "But does Obi-Wan want me to train under the dark side?"

"No, that is what I asked too. He wants me to train you in the light, but to help you to recognize and know the dark side. And how to conquer it if you ever find yourself being drawn into it. Though…you already did that quite well yourself."

"Thankyou," said Luke. "But where do we start?"

"Well, before we begin, I need a new lightsaber," said Anakin. "I hadn't really given much consideration to a new one, but after the incident with Leia today, I realized how much I need one. Can you help?"  
"Of course, Father. I can help you get the parts and crystals you need. Though I don't think that should be too difficult here on Coruscant…didn't you have parts here in the Emperor's palace?"

"Yes," Anakin confirmed. "The Emperor has an entire stockpile of lightsaber equipment. Though I'd prefer to build my own from scratch. I don't want to even touch something that has been near the dark side."  
"I understand," nodded Luke. "We'll find the parts in no time."

The med droid finished up dressing Anakin's shoulder. "Well," he said, standing up. "I can thank that attacker for one thing."  
"What's that?" asked Luke.

"He got me out of Leia's boring senate meeting."

Luke laughed. "Would it be that bad?"  
"I hate politics. Aside from being dull, you can't trust senators."  
"But we can trust Leia!" said Luke.  
"She's so much like her mother it scares me."

---

Anakin pressed the button, igniting his new lightsaber. It shone a brilliant aquamarine. He swung it back and forth, getting a feel for it.  
"It works fine," he called to Luke. "Those corusca gems you found made a great colour."  
"Well, should we test it out?" challenged Luke, igniting his own saber and positioning himself in a fighting stance.

"Hmm, where have I seen this before?" laughed Anakin. "Okay son, show me what you've got!"

Luke swung at Anakin. "Last time we did this, I seem to recall I was winning."  
"I also seem to recall that you were using the dark side at the time." Anakin parried and brought his saber in a sideways slash towards Luke.  
"Touché," said Luke, swinging back. "But I turned back just in time."

"Yes son, but don't let that make you overconfident. It's not a matter of turning the dark side on and off. The dark side was flowing through you when you attacked me. I felt it flowing through you, the sudden power. It was…exhilarating, was it not?"

"Yes Father." Luke twirled around and brought his saber down in a chopping motion. "I was suddenly so strong, invincible. But it was also frightening. I felt so out of control. I was just swinging at anything. I only wanted to destroy you. I didn't care how."  
"Exactly." Anakin leapt as Luke swung his lightsaber under his feet. "Your rage made you powerful but it also made you weak. You were prepared to kill your own father. If you had, your guilt would have made you vulnerable to the Emperor. Guilt is one of the quickest paths to the dark side that there is. Once you feel you have done something terrible, it becomes easier to do more terrible things rather than accept the shame of what you have done. Remember that."

"Yes Father."

"If you find yourself responsible for something - death, a failure, you must forgive yourself. Don't let your guilt overwhelm you, like it did me."

"How Father?" Luke thrust his saber forward.

Anakin sidestepped and swung around. "I killed a Jedi Master to protect Palpatine. Once I did that, I pledged myself to him. I thought I had already done something so evil, that I had nowhere else to go. Now I know better. I could have accepted responsibility for my actions, but I turned and ran from it, and hid behind the Emperor's robes. Don't make that mistake."

"I won't, Father."

"Sometimes you may be tempted to use the dark side as a means to an end. It is the quicker, easier way to defeat your opponent. But remember, even using the dark side for a moment will change you."

"Yes Father."

"You must remember to be mindful of your attachments – to people, to things. Under the old Jedi Order we were forbidden to have attachments of any kind. I am not sure that they were correct, but I do see their point."  
"What do you mean Father?"  
"Yoda used to say, attachment leads to jealousy, which will lead to suffering. He was right."

Luke parried and Anakin sidestepped, easily blocking him. "So what are you saying Father? That I should block my feelings for my friends, for Leia, for you? Will it be dangerous to me?"

"Yes and no," replied Anakin, counter attacking Luke, who spun around and brought his lightsaber down on Anakin's. "Your love and compassion for them can be a great thing, a strength, as it was for me there on the Death Star. But your love can be a danger – look how easily I could use them against you, more than once. You must never rush in headfirst when your friends are in trouble, as on Bespin. You only make matters worse and put yourself at risk."

Luke sighed. "That's what Yoda and Obi-Wan said."

"I'm sure they did," remarked Anakin. "Always think before you act. Meditate on it if you must. Let go of your fears. As Yoda once said – 'Train yourself to let go of all that you fear to lose.' It's very important. As hard as it is, you must accept the fate of your loved ones to the Force. It is not always up to you to save them."

"Okay Father." Luke deflected a blow from Anakin. "But how do I stop myself from caring so much?"

"Attachment can be good but it can also be a path to the dark side. I have come to understand that there is more than one form of attachment. There is healthy, selfless love for your friends and family. But the one to beware, is possession. When you feel like you own someone, when you feel like you cannot live without them, then that is dangerous."

"I think I understand," said Luke through gritted teeth as he warded off a strike from Anakin's lightsaber.

"I thought I loved your mother, but I now understand that my love for her was conditional and possessive. I wanted her to be mine. I wanted to control her. The minute she didn't agree with me, I turned on her. It happened many times, even before I became a Sith. Remember that when you love someone, you accept who they are, and never try to control them to be what you want. That also means not trying to control their destiny, by rushing to prevent something you think to be bad for them. Including death."

Luke nodded and dodged a blow from Anakin.

"Padme was the love of my life," he continued. "I adored her. I would have died for her. Yet I used my anger to choke her. Does that tell you something about the dark side? How it can turn you against even those you love? I turned to the darkness thinking it would give me the power to save and protect her, yet I ended up hurting her. So you must always remember, there is never a reason for the dark side, even an honorable one."

"I take it you have been thinking about Mother alot?"

Anakin did not answer. He blocked a strike from Luke and followed with his own.

"Stupid question, I guess."

Anakin still did not reply.  
"Are you going to try to see her again?"  
"I don't think that decision is mine to make," Anakin finally said. "I must wait until Leia trusts me enough to tell me."  
"She said she's on Naboo," Luke reminded him. "Why don't you just go there? You'll probably sense her through the Force."  
Anakin was silent for a moment, pausing in their battle. "I could," he said. "I would very much like to, after all these years. But I can't. I have to wait until the time is right. Rushing in is something Vader would do. This is exactly what we have been talking about, Luke. Never rush into something that you are unsure of."

Luke nodded. "Okay Father."

"What about you?" Anakin countered. "Don't you want to meet her?"

Luke slashed back and forth with his lightsaber. "Yes," he sighed. "But like you, I don't want to rush in after all these years."

"She's your mother," said Anakin. "You haven't wondered about her?"

"Of course." Luke ducked as Anakin swung over his head. "But I have to wonder, why she never came looking for me. She kept contact with Leia all these years, why not me? Surely she kept contact with Obi-Wan, she must have known where I was?"

"I don't know," admitted Anakin. "But I know Padme, and I know she would never have abandoned you. She must have had a reason. From what Leia said, she has been hiding from me. Perhaps it was not possible for her to visit you."

"I don't know," mumbled Luke, looking down. Anakin used Luke's momentary distraction to his advantage. He swung unexpectedly, catching Luke by surprise and severing his mechanical right hand. Luke screamed and clutched his arm.

"My HAND!"

"How do you feel?"

"Mad as hell!"

"Exactly…feel it, experience it. What does the anger do to you?"

"It makes me feel…stronger…more powerful. I want to take revenge. I feel…like I'm standing on an edge. I could fall into it."

"Exactly. Now center yourself in the force. Feel it flow through you. Feel the anger flow away."

Luke took a breath, let the force flow through him.

"How do you feel now?"  
"Calm."  
"Good," said Anakin.

"But now I only have one hand."

Anakin laughed. "We'll get you a new one. It's about time you upgraded anyway. Now, keep fighting. You can't run away like you did the first time you lost your hand. Focus. Move through the pain."

Luke composed himself. He raised his lightsaber, then attacked Anakin again.

"Calm, Luke, calm," advised his father. "Use the pain to your advantage, but not for anger or aggression." Luke followed through, striking back and forth, letting the force control his movements. He swiped suddenly, almost taking off one of Anakin's arms before his father jumped back just in time.

"Impressive!" he laughed. "Most impressive. You controlled your anger. Well done."

_"What the hell are you doing?" _

Luke and Anakin turned to see Leia, her face one of pure horror. Luke hastily hid his severed hand behind his back.

"It's okay, Leia. We're just training," he told her quickly.  
"Training for what? How to kill each other?" Leia's tone was scornful.  
"Father is continuing my Jedi training"  
"Please tell me you are joking. Jedi training from Darth Vader?"  
"Jedi training from my _father_, yes."  
Leia sighed. "Oh this just keeps getting better and better." She turned away.

"You should train with us Leia," Luke called after her. Leia responded with a look of disgust.  
"With _him_?" she sneered towards her father.  
"I don't know. But you should. It could help you."

"I have survived this far without using the Force or any other power. I don't need it and I don't want anything that could make me like _him_." She shot a hateful glare at Anakin. "Look what it did to him! Why would I want to mess with that?"

"But Leia – "

She was already walking away. Luke started to follow her.

"Don't," warned Anakin, pulling him back.

"But shouldn't we start training Leia in the Force? If her life is in danger, she will need it."

"Now is not the right time, Luke," said Anakin. "She is so full of anger and rage at the moment. She could be a danger to herself. In time, if she calms down and learns to control her feelings, she would make a very powerful Jedi. But not yet. Besides, she would not accept me as a teacher, and your training is not yet enough to take on a student."

"You're the one who kept saying my training was complete. Why can't I teach her?" Luke protested.  
"You are a fine Jedi Knight. But you are not ready for an apprentice. When I became Obi-Wan's Padawan learner, he had only just finished the trials to become a full Jedi himself. He was a great mentor, but I was a difficult student. And I have a feeling Leia would be equally difficult...if not more so. I don't want you to take on something you are not ready to handle. Now, come let's get you a new hand."


	11. Chapter 11: Making Connections

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Jediryu, Aerocat, Triss33, Faithfulcherryblossum: Thankyou!**

**EBsayan: Thanks, I get so tired of the Mace fans who constantly debate that one small part of the story. To me it makes sense that Anakin would still feel that way towards him, Mace was pivotal in causing the last straw in Anakin's turn.**

**Jedidaughter1: SLAP! Another slap for Leia! Boy is her face red!**

**SSG Michael B Jackson: Thanks, I took a look at the last chapter and I agree that it jumps a bit, but at the same time I think if I extended it too much it would get bogged down in unnecessary padding.**

**Padmeonpaper: LOL!**

**VFSNAKE: You are too evil! Shoots Leia in the ass Gosh, poor Leia's taking a beating.**

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CHAPTER TEN – Making Connections

"Were you successful?"

A pause. "No…"

"You failed?"

"She was too well protected. She has a Jedi with her. Plus Solo and his Wookiee, and some other guy who I have not seen before. He must be someone close to her, because he took a blast for her."

"You must try again!"

"How will I get past her defenses?"

"Perhaps…there is another way to get to her?"

"What do you mean?"

"By…by using someone close to her?"

"How? Her family were all killed on Alderaan. She has a brother, and her friends, but they all stick together. And this brother of hers is Jedi."

"Find a way. Find those close to her and use them to make her pay."

---

Luke approached Leia's office quietly. He knocked gently and went in. She was busy as usual. She barely acknowledged him.

"Leia do you have a minute?"

"Yes of course, Luke." She sounded exhausted.

"Leia, I really would like to meet our mother. Will you please take me to her?"

Leia sighed and rubbed between her eyes. "Yes of course I will Luke. I've just been so caught up in my work. I know she will be very glad to see you after all these years."  
"Does she know about me?" asked Luke hesitantly.  
"No," said Leia. "I have not been in contact with her for quite some time. She is a difficult person to get hold of, always paranoid that Vader will find her. I don't know what she's going to do when she finds out he knows she's still alive."  
"We'll explain it to her, when she hears Father has been brought back to the light she will be so happy…"  
"Luke, not everyone is so naïve and ready to forget the past as you," Leia chastised him.

"He is a good man." Luke's voice was rising. "You may refuse to accept it, but some of us - Han included, I might add - can see he's changed. I hope that Mother will see it that way."

"She's spent the last two decades hiding in terror from him. I don't think he can expect the warmest reception from her."

---

Anakin strolled along the shipping docks, deep in thought. He couldn't get Padme off his mind. His mind still hadn't really comprehended the fact that she really _was_ still alive. It shook him to his core, to think that he'd spent so many years in darkness, grieving for her, while she was alive and…it killed him to realize…hiding from him. He needed to see her again…yet, as he'd told Luke, he was unsure. How would she react to him? Surely she'd be happy? Surely she would understand that he was back from the dark side? She would forgive him, as Luke had?

Or would she be more like Leia?

Anakin admired some of the ships in the dock. Flying had always been one of his passions. It was one of the few things that he had kept from his old life, that Palpatine couldn't take away from him.

"I need a hydrospanner!" Anakin recognized the familiar voice coming from one of the docks. A Wookiee growl answered back.  
"Not that one! No, the big one!"

"Need a hand?" Anakin offered, as he found Han and Chewie once more engaged in repairs on the Falcon.

Han appeared from under the hull wiping sweat and grease from his forehead. "It's the damn gun turrets. This one's been giving us trouble. It's worked on and off for ages, we manage to get it working for a while and then it just cuts out!"

"Let me look at it," suggested Anakin. "I have some experience with these sort of things."  
Han looked dubious, then shrugged. "Be my guest."  
Anakin bent his head and took a look. He picked up the hydrospanner and made a few adjustments.  
"Okay try it now," he said.  
Han looked skeptical but called up to Chewie. "Try it Chewie."  
The turret popped out and fired into the wall, sending sparks flying. Han jumped back in fright. "How the hell did you do that?"  
Anakin shrugged. "I've always been good at fixing things. It's a knack I guess."  
Han was still staring at him. "Well then in that case would you mind taking a look at the shield generator?"  
"Let me at it!" Anakin laughed, following Han. Life always seemed easier when he was fixing things.

"How's your shoulder?" asked Han, trying to make small talk.  
"Fine, doesn't even bother me," said Anakin.  
"Not a bad hit you took, jumping in front of Leia like that."  
"Too bad Leia doesn't see it that way."  
"Yeah," said Han thoughtfully. "That's quite a daughter you have there."  
"Just like her mother," said Anakin wistfully.

"So uh…you do know that we're uh…_together_…right?"

Anakin smirked. "I kind of figured it out there on Bespin, when she kissed you and told you she loved you. That wasn't exactly a 'just good friends' kiss."

"Oh yeah," said Han. Anakin wasn't sure, but he could have sworn Han blushed a little. "I forgot about that."  
"You forgot?" said Anakin. "Did the carbonite give you amnesia or something? How could you forget _that_?"  
"I didn't," Han replied. "I just…I mean I keep forgetting that _you_ are Darth Vader, and that you were there that day."

"WAS Darth Vader," Anakin corrected.

"Are, were, whatever," shrugged Han. "It's just hard to believe you could even be related. I mean, you're a pretty ok guy, and he was…"

"An evil murderer? Sicko? Monster?" provided Anakin.

"Well, yeah."

"I know. He was. _I_ was. I know you don't understand the Force, but the dark side is a powerful thing. I'm not that same person anymore."

"I can see that, but Leia's having a hard time."

Anakin sighed. "I know. She's lost a lot. More than anyone ever should, and most of it was because of me. I can't blame her. I'm hoping she'll start to put it behind her and accept me…but well, it could take some time…even years before she can do that. If ever, which I'm starting to wonder. I don't think anything can break through that shell of hers. She's too much like me."  
Han nodded thoughtfully. "Leia's a tough cookie, but she's pretty soft deep down, once you get past all that attitude. She gave me hell for years. I never knew where I stood with her. But I hung on, and look at her now… still giving me hell."

Anakin laughed. "Well at least you didn't have a history of torturing her…"

"I tortured her with my good looks and charm!" Han gave one of his trademark lopsided grins. Chewie howled something.

"Who's scruffy looking?" Han sent a dirty look in Chewie's direction. "But anyway...uh...Anakin...so you don't uh..._mind_ that I'm dating your daughter?"  
Anakin suppressed an amused smile. "I'm not exactly in the position to be telling my daughter who she can and can't date now, am I?"  
"Hmm no I guess not," agreed Han.

"So don't worry, you don't need to ask me for her hand or something, if that's what you're worried about."

"No...no, I wasn't going to," blustered Han, fumbling with the hydrospanner. He heard Chewie's husky laughter from below the hull.

"Laugh it up, furball!"

"Han, are you up there?"

Han turned to Anakin in alarm. "It's her!" he whispered.

"I'll just stay back here," Anakin whispered back, shrinking back out of sight.

"Good idea," Han whispered to Anakin, waving him back. He poked his head out of the hatch. "I'm here," he answered Leia.

"Han, Luke and I are flying to Naboo to see our mother tomorrow. I was wondering if you could fly us there in the Falcon?"  
"Sure thing," said Han. "We're just making a few repairs, but she'll be ready for tomorrow."  
"Okay, thankyou," said Leia. They could hear her footsteps clicking away.

"Coast is clear," said Han to Anakin after she had left.  
"Thanks," said Anakin. "I'll finish up here. Shields should be working fine now."  
"Thanks for the help," said Han. "I appreciate it."  
"No problem." Anakin was suddenly very distant. He climbed down, immersed in his thoughts. Luke and Leia were finally going to see Padme…


	12. Chapter 12: Decisions

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Twelve - Decisions

Anakin's mind swirled.

_Luke and Leia will be with Padme tomorrow…_

Tomorrow…after two decades of believing she was dead, he could actually see her again in just one day.

One day! It was incredible.

If he decided to go, that is.

There was the very real, very likely possibility that Padme's reaction to him would not be positive. If what Leia had said was true, she had spent most of her life hiding from him.

She had good reason to, after their last encounter.

The memories started creeping back into his mind, memories he had kept buried as Vader...

_"I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things." _

"What things?"

"He said you have turned to the dark side . . . that you killed younglings."

"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me."

"He cares about us."

"Us!"

Anakin remembered the rage he felt. He remembered his paranoid thoughts, how he was convinced Obi-Wan and Padme were having an affair. How they were conspiring against him, they all were; the Jedi, the younglings...everyone.

_"Anakin, all I want is your love." _

"Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that."

He had been so convinced of his own power! He'd had no idea that the dark side abilities he was so proud of would leave him a pathetic, weak little creature, barely human.

_"At what cost? You are a good person. Don't do this." _

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother! I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you."

_"Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can." _

Why didn't he listen to her then? He remember some tiny voice inside him, begging him to listen to her. To run away, escape Palpatine before it was too late. Perhaps, they would have had a chance. But the sick voice, Vader's voice, was already too loud. It told him he didn't need to hide, that he was the most powerful man in the galaxy.

_"Don't you see, we don't have to run away anymore! I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be."_

_"I don't believe what I'm hearing . . . Obi-Wan was right. You've changed."_

_"I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me."_

_"I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You are going down a path I can't follow."_

_"Because of Obi-Wan?" _

_"Because of what you've done . . . what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you."_

It was at that point that Obi-Wan had appeared at the entrance to Padme's ship. Anakin's blood had boiled in his veins at this treachery. In his mind, Obi-Wan's appearance proved his suspicions were true. He had images of Padme and Obi-Wan together in bed, plotting his destruction, laughing at pitiful naïve Anakin ...

_"Liar!" he'd screamed at Padme. _

"No!"

"You're with HIM. You've betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!"

"NO! Anakin. I swear ... I ..."

Anakin felt sick at the next part of the memory. The look on Padme's face as she clutched her throat. The betrayal in her eyes.

He'd promised to protect her! Something in the very back of his mind had screamed at him to stop. But the new, dark voice that dominated his thoughts was too strong. He was going to make her pay...and he did.

Anakin gagged, trying to get the memory out of his head. He fell forward, his chest heaving.

"Father?"

Anakin tried to pull himself together at the sound of his son's voice.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine son," gulped Anakin.  
"No you're not...what is it?"

"I..." Anakin looked at Luke helplessly. Should he tell him?

"Father, something's wrong. You must tell me!"  
"It's...Padme. I know...I know about tomorrow."  
"Oh." Luke sighed. "I was going to tell you..."  
"I can understand why you didn't."

"Father..." began Luke. "I know how much you want to see her again. I do. But like we talked about already, it's not something you should rush into..."  
"I know, son. I meant what I said. It's just...knowing that you are going tomorrow...makes it so much more _real_. I haven't seen her in so long, and I just..."  
"One day, Father," Luke attempted to reassure him. "At least let us explain about you, give her a chance to get used to the idea that you are back..."  
"Let _you_ explain? Or Leia?" Anakin was having difficulty controlling his emotion. "Once Leia has anything to say about it, Padme will never even _consider_ seeing me again!"

Luke sighed. "That could be a possibility," he conceded. "I'll do my best...with _both _of them, to try to help them understand that you are not Darth Vader anymore."  
"You haven't had much luck with Leia." It came out more bitterly than he intended it to.

Luke looked his father square in the eye. "I know things haven't worked out with Leia the way you wanted them to. But coming with us to Naboo isn't going to improve things. In fact, it will only do the opposite. Leia will have more reason to be angry with you if you go against her wishes."

"I don't think I could make things any worse between us than they already are," said Anakin quietly.

"Oh, I think you could. At least she can stand to be in a room with you. Things have improved, however slightly. Perhaps in time they will get even better. Do you want to blow your only chance to know your daughter?"

Anakin had the distinct feeling that the roles had been reversed. Who was the father here? Him or Luke?

"I..." He considered Luke's words for a moment. He supposed he'd made _some_ progress with Leia...not much, but things had certainly improved since their first meeting. Better than the day when she'd aimed the blaster at him in the hallway...he'd never told anyone that he knew about that incident. Anakin had sensed her there, lining him up in her sights. He felt her intent. Anakin was more than capable of blocking the bolt with his hand, yet for a moment he'd considered just letting her take him down, and ending it once and for all. Many times he'd wondered why he'd survived at all, if it was going to be this hard. Then Chewie had stopped her, and the decision was made for him.

Luke was right, his relationship with Leia was still important to him. If there was any chance of gaining her trust, however slim, he would take it. Even if it meant not seeing Padme.

Anakin pulled himself together. "You're right Luke. I can't risk upsetting Leia. I won't go."  
Luke gave a relieved smile. "You will get your chance, Father," he said, placing a hand on his arm. "Just give me some time to get to know her, and see if I can pave the way for a reunion."

Anakin nodded, a wistful smile on his face. He was quiet a moment, then he shook his head quickly. "I'm sorry Luke. You're going to meet your mother for the first time and I'm whining about whether I get to see her or not!" He tried to look cheerful.

"It's okay Father...I understand...really I do. Just...give it some time. Okay?"  
"Alright, son. You and Leia give her a big hug for me," said Anakin in a feeble attempt to make Luke feel better.  
Luke laughed. "I'll be back in a few days, with a full report. Who knows, maybe she'll be ready to see you!"  
Anakin forced a grin. "Of course."

The two said their goodbyes and Anakin was alone once more.

The vision passed before his eyes again. He saw her...lying slumped on the ground, while all he cared about was killing Obi-Wan.

And now he was actually planning to see her again? How could he even expect her to _look_ at him? He didn't deserve to even be in her presence after what he'd done to her.

He wouldn't go. It was stupid of him to even consider it. Padme had been dead to him for all these years, she should stay that way.


	13. Chapter 13: Confrontation

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Eleven - Confrontation

Luke and Leia strapped themselves in as Han and Chewie prepared the ship for take off.  
As they rose from Coruscant, they failed to notice not one, but two ships rising up behind them.

---

"We're coming up on Naboo now," Han announced. Luke found himself feeling jittery. He'd wondered all his life about his mother, and now he was actually about to see her. He had no idea what to expect. He clenched and unclenched his new mechanical hand.

"I think Luke and I should go alone," Leia told the others. "Mother is a…_nervous_ person, and it might be a shock to her to have so many unexpected visitors."  
"Sure," shrugged Han, indifferent. "Chewie and I'll wait here."

"Is it far?" asked Luke.  
"No, not far. Shouldn't take too long," said Leia as she walked along. Luke followed her slowly, half hoping that it _would_ take a long time, just so he could get his thoughts together.

"So she's never mentioned me at all?" he finally asked, biting his lip.  
Leia shook her head. "No Luke, but then nobody ever told me I had a brother. I don't know why it was a secret. I have no idea if she has looked for you, or if she even knows you're alive. She was very ill when we were born; perhaps she never even knew you existed?"

"I don't know," Luke mumbled. He wondered how she would react to a strange man on her doorstep claiming to be her son. Maybe she hated him? Maybe she was afraid he was just like his father, and kept him away? He toyed with his lightsaber. Perhaps it would make her nervous to see a Jedi? What if she told him to get out? He lagged behind Leia, dragging his feet.

---

Anakin silently followed through the once familiar landscape of Naboo. His feelings were in terrible conflict. He knew he should listen to Leia, to wait and earn her trust. But knowing that Padme was so close, how could he give up a chance to see her again? If he could just _see_ her…just catch a glimpse of her face, and leave. That would be enough. Leia would never have to know that he had disobeyed her.

Luke knew however, sensing his father's presence close behind them. _Go back Father_, Luke silently urged him. _You promised._ _Leia will never trust you if you do this_  
_I just want to see her_, Anakin thought back to him. _I won't interfere._

Suddenly Luke felt a change in the force. "Leia, something is wrong," he said, worried. "I feel strange…I seem to be losing my power in the Force!"  
Leia turned to him, frowning. "That's strange…how can you…oh!" she said, suddenly realizing. "That's the ysalamiri."  
"Ysalawhattie?" asked Luke in confusion.  
"Ysalamiri. They're strange little animals from the planet Myrkr. I don't know how they work exactly, but they do something to the Force. You can't use it if you're standing within a few metres of them."  
"Oh…how weird. It works, I can't feel the Force anymore. I feel…really weird, empty. But why are they here?" asked Luke.

"Mother was so afraid that Vader would find her," explained Leia. "She's literally lived every day in terror since we were born. At first she traveled around, hiding all over the galaxy. She even stayed with us in Alderaan for some time, when I was quite young. Then she'd get word of Vader in the area, and leave. Sometimes I wouldn't hear from her for years because she was too afraid to send a message. Finally she accepted that Vader was not looking for her - he thought she was dead - so she returned to her homeland here in Naboo. But she could never rest, still thinking that he might be chasing her. So she heard about these Ysalamiri and bought them from some smuggler, I think his name was Taren Karddo, or Talon Kardde…or something like that. That way if Vader ever did find her, he wouldn't be able to use the force against her. She would have time to get away before he could do anything, or better yet, blow his brains out. Though I'm not sure she could shoot him, she seems to still love him, deep down. I can't for the life of me understand how she could love that monster, after everything he did."  
"He was good once," murmured Luke.  
"If you say so," sighed Leia, tired of arguing on the matter. "Well, here we are." They had stopped outside a small, non descript house.

"Mother lives here? It's not very big," remarked Luke.  
"She once lived on a huge estate. She was an important Senator here. She was even Queen once. But she couldn't return to her family home in case of Vader, and she wanted to live in a place that didn't call attention to herself."  
"Wow, Father really has dominated her life," observed Luke softly, almost to himself.  
"Yes," said Leia tightly. "Well, are you ready to meet your mother?"  
Luke nodded. "Yes."  
Leia knocked. "Who is it?" came an anxious voice from inside.  
"It's Leia."

They heard the sound of several locks being unfastened. The door opened slightly, and a shadowy face peered out. "Leia?" it said. The door opened further. "It is her mi'lady."  
"Thankyou Dorme," answered Padme. Dorme let them in and excused herself.  
"Hello, Mother," said Leia softly. Padme was sitting in a rocking chair, slowing staring out the window. It took a moment for her to turn her attention to Leia.  
"Leia dear," she said. "It's been so long. How lovely of you to visit." She noticed Luke, standing hesitantly behind Leia. "And you have brought a visitor. Who is young man? I didn't know you were seeing anyone."  
"Oh no, I'm not with Luke!" said Leia in alarm. "Oh god no, actually I'm seeing a man called Han Solo, he's wonderful, but he takes some getting used to…"

"Luke?" said Padme, rising from her chair. "Did you say this man's name is Luke?" She stepped cautiously towards Luke. He moved forward and she could see his face fully.  
"Anakin! Oh my, you remind me of Anakin. You have the same eyes…and your name is Luke? Luke…" Her eyes dropped to the lightsaber at his side. "Luke? My Luke?"

"Yes Mother," he answered for her. "I am Luke Skywalker, your son."

Padme's eyes filled with tears. "Luke…oh Luke!" She ran into his arms. Mother and son embraced. A tear escaped Luke's eye as he hugged the mother he had never known. Leia struggled to hold back her own tears.  
"Leia, how did you ever find him?" cried Padme. "My baby…oh my baby!"  
"We…well we just stumbled upon each other," grinned Leia.

"Oh Luke, I have wondered for so many years. I never knew where you were, or how to find you! I woke from a coma to find my babies gone…Obi-Wan took you from me. I didn't know how to find him or you. Leia was with my friend but I've been searching for you…I had to hide from your father…oh Luke, look at you, you're all grown up!" Padme clasped her son's face in her hands. "Oh you look like him…and you're even a Jedi, just like Anakin…Anakin…" her voice dropped off. "Do you know about him?" she asked softly, the words barely audible.

"Yes, I know, Mother," said Luke. "I know about Anakin…Darth Vader."  
Padme began to tremble at the mention of his name. "He was a great man," she said. "He was the love of my life…"  
"And you were the love of mine," said a voice from the doorway. They all turned.  
Padme's face immediately paled and her eyes widened in terror. "Anakin!"  
"Yes it's me, my love," he said with an eager smile.

"ANAKIN! No, oh god, he's found me! He'll kill me! Help me! HELP!" Padme screamed, hysterical with fear.  
"No Padme…no it's not like that!" protested Anakin, mortified.  
"HE'LL KILL ME!" she screamed. "Please Luke, Leia do something! Get out, save yourselves!" Luke tried to intervene and explain but she was too panic-stricken. Leia stood with her fists clenched at her side, shaking and watching her father in furious horror. Padme was backing against the wall, searching frantically for a weapon or a way out. Her hands met her blaster which she always kept by her side. She pulled it out and held it, shaking uncontrollably.

"Padme, no!" cried Anakin desperately, his hands out. "Please, I just want to –"

"GET AWAY FROM US! I've hidden too long for you to kill me now. Get away, get OUT!" she shrieked. "Leave us, leave me and my children! I lost them once before because of you, you're not taking them now!" She pulled the trigger. The blast hit the doorframe behind Anakin. "Get out! Get _OUT!"_ She shot again. Anakin tried to deflect it but he no longer had any use of the Force. The blast grazed his injured right shoulder and hit the wall.  
"Go, Anakin," ordered Leia, trembling with rage. "I warned you not to come here. Look what you've done." Her tone was deadly serious. "_If you don't get out I'll kill you myself._"  
Anakin took one last look at Padme in despair, then fled. Luke looked at his mother helplessly, before running out after his father.

Leia gently prised the blaster from her mother's hands. Padme collapsed to her knees as Leia caught her. "How did he find me…how…after all these years?" she whispered, still trembling.  
Leia sighed. "He must have followed Luke and I. I should have known better than to lead him straight here…" Padme's handmaiden Dorme ran in, hearing the commotion. "What is it mi'lady?" she asked in concern.

"Anakin…Anakin…" she repeated over and over. "He found me, he finally found me…"  
"Please take care of her," said Leia. "I need to have a chat with a certain father of mine…"

"I'll kill him, I'll kill him," Leia muttered to herself as she angrily marched out. "I'll kill BOTH of them."


	14. Chapter 14: Realisations

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**A quick explanation for a couple of members who seem to have misunderstood the last chapter - Padme has _lost her mind_ after the incident on Mustafar and the 25 years of running and hiding. After being attacked by her husband, almost dying, having her babies taken from her and being forced to hide, she cracked up. She is _not_ the same fearless, fiesty woman she was in her twenties, she is now a 50 year old shell of a woman who has lived in terror for two decades, and was suddenly confronted with the source of that terror which is why her reaction. If you think that's out of character - remember that this supposedly brave woman who fought Nexu also DIED because she just _gave up and lost the will to live!_ She ain't that strong! Basically in this story, even though she survived, she still went on _without_ the will to live, and it has destroyed her. She's gone crackers. Loopy. Curr-raaay--zay! So no, she ain't the Nexu fighting wonderwoman that she was in AOTC! (But...she wasn't in ROTS either! She just brushed her hair a lot then dropped dead...)**

**To everyone reading and leaving nice comments: Thanks for your positive words!**

**VFsnake: have you considered a career in standup? You're hilaaarious!**

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Chapter Twelve - Realisations

Leia stormed out onto the street, muttering every swear word she knew. She was out for blood.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, taken aback by the sight before her.

Anakin was standing by the street, hunched over crying uncontrollably. The tears poured from his eyes and he was visibly shaking. Luke was holding on to him, trying to comfort him. "It's okay Father," he was saying. "Once we explain it to her she'll understand. You shouldn't have just come in unannounced. Of course you scared her. But we'll explain, it'll be okay."  
"Oh Luke…she was so afraid! So afraid, of _me_!" sobbed Anakin.

"Well you can't exactly blame her, Anakin," spoke up Leia. Luke and Anakin looked up to see her standing before them with a stern expression, arms folded.

"I'm sorry Leia," spluttered Anakin. "I'm so sorry! I didn't listen to you. I just wanted to see her, I was only going to look at her…it's been so long and I've believed she was dead all these years. I didn't mean to just walk in like that…I just heard her voice…she said my name….and I had to speak to her…and…" He couldn't finish from crying so hard.

Leia stared at him. "You…you really did… _love _her, didn't you?"

Anakin nodded, choking on his tears. "She was everything to me…she was the _reason_ I turned to the dark side! I thought she was dying...Palpatine _tricked_ me – he told me that by using the dark side it was possible to prevent death! He fooled me…once he had me I couldn't get away! I turned on Padme, on Obi-Wan, on everything I knew and loved, and destroyed it all! Once I realized, it was too late...everything was gone, I had nothing left and no choice but to stay with Palpatine...I thought she was dead all this time…if I had known about her, and you two…maybe things would have been different! I would have had a reason to turn back! She was alive all this time! Hiding…" Anakin choked on the words. "Hiding from _me_! Separated from her children! I loved her since I was nine years old, and look what I did to her! How can I go on like this? _How_?"

"Father you mustn't speak like that!" Luke admonished him. "After everything you have achieved, you can't give up now."  
"What do I have to go on for?" said Anakin desperately. "Padme hates me…my daughter hates me! How can I face all the people I've hurt, the lives I've destroyed?"

"You have much to atone for," said Leia reproachfully. "You have work ahead of you. But leave Padme to me. I will talk to her. She listens to me. Meanwhile, I want you to leave this planet and do as I instructed. And in future, you'll do as I say." She pointed her finger at him firmly. Anakin sniffed and nodded.

"Yes Leia. Thankyou Leia," he snuffled, turning and walking away, supported by Luke.

Leia stared after him in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. This was the big powerful Darth Vader she, and the entire galaxy, had once feared? The father she had despised and been ashamed of most of her life? Crying and following her orders like a child who'd just been punished! He really was just a man. She shook her head. Maybe...just maybe he wasn't the monster she thought he was. Maybe.

---

"Oh Luke, what have I done?" sobbed Anakin, breaking down again once they were aboard the shuttle. "I just wanted to see her and now I've made things worse! I should have let you and Leia explain things to her before I shocked her like that! I just couldn't hold myself back, I love her so much!"  
"Don't worry Father. Leia will work things out. She can be very persuasive."

"But Leia hates me!" protested Anakin.

"I think she's coming around," said Luke, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "I think you really shocked her by crying in front of her. She finally saw you as a person..."  
"I don't know Luke. I don't think Leia will ever change her mind. She's too much like me, stubborn and unforgiving."  
"You came back from the dark side didn't you? Don't worry, things will work out. I don't know if you can ever be with Mother again, but I'm sure you can reach some kind of peace with her…and Leia."  
"Oh I hope so Luke. I hope so. Oh I'm sorry Luke, I ruined your meeting with your mother. I'm sure you want to get back to her." Anakin wiped his eyes.  
"I would like to get to know her, but I need to know you're going to be alright. Were you hurt?"  
"No." Anakin shook his head. "The blast just grazed me. But…I don't understand, why couldn't I use the Force? It was just…gone."

"Leia says Mother keeps some kind of animal…ysalamiri she called them. They block the Force, or something."  
"I think I've heard of them. Palpatine once mentioned them. He was looking for them once, to use against the Jedi."  
"I'd never heard of them. But whatever they are, they work. I was blind without the force."

"Why did she have them?" Anakin didn't look at Luke, already knowing the answer. Luke put a hand on his shoulder.  
"Are you sure you'll be okay here, while I go back?"  
"Yes," said Anakin. "I will do what Leia said and fly back to Coruscant. I'll meet you there later."  
"Okay, goodbye Father."

---

"Mother, are you alright?" asked Leia, rushing to her mother's side. Padme was shaking in her chair being comforted by Dorme.  
"Oh Leia, thank goodness you're alright! Where's Luke? Oh no, he's got Luke!" Padme shrieked hysterically.  
"It's ok, it's ok," soothed Leia. "Luke is fine. We're all fine."  
"Luke...Luke...he's got Luke," she continued chanting.  
"He's fine, really he's fine," said Leia.  
"Oh Leia," sobbed Padme. "How did he find us? How, how, how?"  
Leia sighed. "He followed Luke and me. He _knew_ he couldn't come with us, but he didn't listen. As usual. That man..."

Padme stopped crying and stared at her daughter. "What do you mean he didn't listen? You..._know_ him?"

Leia ground her teeth. "Yes. Luke seems to believe he has turned back from the dark side of the Force. Personally, I'm not so convinced. He – he did save my life the other day. And he did seem to genuinely care for you back there. But...I don't know Mother...I don't trust him at all. What do you think?"  
Padme sat trembling. "I…don't know either Leia. He was once a wonderful man. But the last time I saw him…he wasn't Anakin anymore. He was something else…something evil. He tried…oh god, he tried to k-k-ki -" Padme choked on her words, unable to finish.  
"I know Mother." Dark tears started to well in Leia's eyes. "I know what he did. I can't forgive him for that. He has hurt us so much. I had to grow up without you. And my brother. Now he expects us to just forget. Well I can't do that. I _won't_ do that!" A tear escaped and rolled down Leia's cheek.  
"I can't either," whimpered Padme. "I can't forget how he looked that day on Mustafar. I can't forget the look on his face when he choked me. He almost killed me…and you, and Luke too! He can't just come back."

"He is a good man."

Padme and Leia looked up to see Luke in the doorway.  
"Luke, you don't understand," sighed Leia.  
"Why not?" countered Luke. "He hurt me too. He cut off my hand, hurt my friends, took my family away. But I choose to forgive him, and to have my father, than to spend my life in anger and unforgiveness."

"You didn't see, Luke. You didn't see!" whispered Padme, looking up at him with big eyes. "You didn't see him…what he did"

"But Mother I -"

"_I can't forget."_


	15. Chapter 15: Close To The Edge

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**I put the comments at the end of the story this time so it won't get in the way for people who just wanna read!**

**This is only a short chappie, and it's all dialogue, so some of you are gonna be peeved! But more to come soon, I promise!**

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Chapter Thirteen - Close to the Edge

Anakin banged his head repeatedly against the wall inside his shuttle. _Idiot!_ he cursed himself. _What have you DONE?_ He felt the rage growing within him and punched the control panel, denting it slightly. Several lightpanels shattered as his rage intensified out into the Force.

_You IMBECILE Anakin! You've ruined EVERYTHING!_

Tools and other items flew around the cockpit as he hurled them around. It felt good…comfortable…_right_…to feel the power coursing through his veins again.

_NO ANAKIN!_ He caught himself before the rage took hold. _I will not go back._  
Anakin closed his eyes, breathed deeply and centered himself in the force.

"You had me worried for a moment there."

Anakin opened his eyes to find his former Master's spirit in front of him.  
"Obi-Wan," he breathed. "I'm sorry – that was…that was a – momentary setback."  
"This is a dangerous time for you," said Obi-Wan. "I fear that Padme's reappearance in your life will push you in the wrong direction."  
"No she won't, I just wasn't ready –" Anakin started to object.

"A bad influence on you, she is."

Anakin's eyes widened. "Yoda!"

Yoda's shimmering form appeared. "Returned from the dark side you have. Possible, I thought it was not. Seeing you again brings warm feelings to my heart."

"Thankyou, Master Yoda," nodded Anakin, bowing on one knee before him. "Thankyou for coming. I would have understood if you did not want to speak with me."

"A terrible decision, you made. Terrible things you have done."

Anakin nodded sadly. "I know Master. I apologize."

"Fooled were you. Seduced, by the dark side of the Force."

"Yes Master Yoda…I didn't realize what I was doing. I thought I was saving Padme. I didn't fully understand the power of the dark side. I thought I could use it and turn back when I was finished…"

"But consume you, it did! Yes, yes, taken lightly, the dark side must not be."

"I know that now, Master," said Anakin humbly. "For more than twenty years I have tried to fight against it, to come back. But it was too strong. If not for my son…" His voice trailed off.

"A good boy, he is. A true Jedi. Saw the good in you, that we did not."

"You didn't know to look for it," said Anakin graciously. "Luke was not taught as we were. His heart and mind were open. He also wanted to see the good, to find his lost father. I will never be able to thank him enough."

"Yourself, must you also credit. A heavy burden for Luke, to carry his father's salvation on his shoulders."

Anakin nodded slowly. "It's easier to hold Luke up as the hero than it is to look at myself," he admitted sheepishly. "I know I was the one who defeated Palpatine in the end. But it was me who helped him get to where he was in the first place. I can't pat myself on the back too much for finally stopping him - twenty five years too late."

"It is never too late." Obi-Wan shook his head. "As I have said to you before, we all made mistakes."

"Many flaws in the Jedi Order were there. Too confident were we. Too stuck in our old ways. Mmm, many things we could have done differently, were there."

"Like what, Master Yoda?" Anakin frowned.

"Listened to you, I should have, when spoke of your nightmares you did. Understood, we should have, that different from other Jedi were you. Isolated, you were, and easy prey."

"You were manipulated and used as a pawn by the Emperor," Obi-Wan added. "But you found the strength to overcome that, and you deserve to be commended for it."

"Thankyou." Anakin bowed his head towards Obi-Wan.

"Strong in the Force, you are. A return from the dark side, I have not heard of before. Proud you must be, of all you have done. But beware -" warned Yoda. "The dark side is not conquered yet. Vulnerable are you. Precarious, is your stance in the light. Be mindful of your feelings, or fall again you will."

"I understand," said Anakin. "I will try…"

"No! There is no try! Make the same mistake again, you cannot!"

"I won't," said Anakin emphatically. "I will do all I can to resist the dark side. It will be different this time. I am older and wiser, I have learned from my mistakes. There is no Palpatine to influence me. And I have Luke and Leia…."

"Luke and Leia – strengths they are. But weaknesses can they also become! Remember, you must, what I told you. 'Train yourself to let go of all that you fear to lose...' especially Padme. A powerful hold over you, she has. Dangerous, that is."

"You must let her go," put in Obi-Wan.

"But I love her!"

"Your love for Luke – powerful it is. A bright light in your life. Your love for Leia – patient, unconditional. But your love for Padme – _controlling_, it is. Dominating."

"No…no…it _was_, but I've changed…"

"It is not a healthy love, Anakin. You know that, you said it yourself. You want to own her, _possess_ her. If you want to continue your progress on the light side, you must stay away from Padme," advised Obi-Wan. "I don't want to see you fall again!"

"Yes, yes, to Obi-Wan you listen!"

"But Obi-Wan, I'm different now...I understand now!"

"You are still compulsive and irrational around her. Look at what just happened when you were faced with her again!"

"Undid all your progress, did you," said Yoda gravely.

"No...no I didn't...it was a temporary set back..."

"You can't afford even the slightest temptation to the dark side Anakin!"

Anakin put his head in his hands. "I can't…I just can't give up on her."

Obi-Wan and Yoda exchanged glances.

"That is why you will fail."

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**Hi guys! **

**SSG Michael B Jackson: I 100 percent agree with you, I HATE what Lucas did to Padme's character in ROTS. She was a pathetic pregnant hairbrushing nitwit that sent feminism back about 50 years. The deleted scenes were great, they actually showed Padme still had some guts, but they were cut out! And yeah, killing her off was just plain lame. It was lame, hard to believe, and a crappy way to kill off a strong character. Nobody dies of a broken heart for crying out loud. AND it makes Leia a big fat lying psycho in ROTJ when she remembers her dead mother. Grrrr George! Anyway, I still think even the strongest mind can be broken and Padme certainly went through enough to qualify for a nervous breakdown. Being strangled by her husband, then waking up from a coma to find her beloved children missing would be enough to send anyone quackers. Then hiding for 2 decades...she became a paranoid mess. You'll have to wait and see if she comes out of it or not...! ;) **

**Jedi Knight 13 left this great comment in my reviews: "The problem is Leia is so much like Anakin. She may be politically savvy, but on an emotional level she hit the off switch a long time ago and leaving her emotionally stunted like her father." Damn, that's a good observation! I'm gonna have to check out your fanfic if your comments are that good! I think you're right, they are very similar on an emotional level. Leia is kind and compassionate in her heart, but she covers it all up by being bossy and full of attitude. Anakin is the same except he covers his vulnerability with bravado and overconfidence. And they both have a temper that gets them into trouble. 'Off-switch'...I love it!**

**Sith Knight - Galen: Hi and welcome to the story! Yup, I agree with everything you said about Mace, that's how I see it too. As far as him being unarmed - I think the rule was more if you believed someone to be unarmed, and as far as Mace knew at that point he was. Palps was also pretending to be weak. Mace probably did the _right_ thing by trying to kill him, but the wrong thing as far as Jedi are concerned because by breaking a fundamental rule, he confirmed Anakin's feeling that the Jedi were wrong!**

**Christine Phantom: Hmmm...I never said she stopped _loving_ him. ;) But I don't want to give any story away so you'll have to read on to see if she still does or not!**

**Jedi Master Arie Skywalker: Maybe Leia cracked just a _little_...only a little mind you!**

**VFSnake: You've really got it in for poor Leia, haven't you? Killing her off would totally ruin the ending...so NO! Maybe I'll write a spin off series where Leia dies in every episode ala Kenny from South Park!**

**Padmeonpaper: I already read your story, see my name is the last review!**

**Thanks to everyone for reading! **


	16. Chapter 16: The Weight of the World

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Sorry for the delay in updating everyone! **

**Jedi Knight 13: "A fractured image"...ooh you gave me goosebumps. You need to start writing, you have a real way with words!**

**VFsnake: ROFLOL!**

**Faithfulcherryblossum: Yes you do have to wait and see! ;)**

**SG Michael B Jackson: I fully agree, the non-attachment rule _is _more the realm of sociopaths and definitely contributed to the downfall of the Jedi. And I think not many of them were actually able to achieve that level of attachment anyway. In Shatterpoint it was clear that Mace had become too attached to the Republic, and I think Obi-Wan was more attached to Anakin than he cared to admit. I think Yoda has conceded that it's ok for Anakin to love his children though, so he's come around a bit. We'll have to wait and see if Anakin overcomes the sick obsessive side to his love for Padme, or if it pushes him further into madness...well I won't wait and see, cos I already know, but you will hehehe!**

**Another "choppy" chapter coming up - ie it jumps around a bit, but that's cos a few things are going on at once.  
**

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Chapter Sixteen – The Weight of the World

It had been a hectic few days. After her confrontation with Anakin, Padme had insisted on fleeing to another planet where Anakin could not find her. No amount of persuasion had talked her out of it.

That is how Luke found himself on the planet Selonia, one of the five planets in the Correllia system, deep in thought as he considered his place in the universe.

In one way, he felt a sense of completion. Luke had spent his life wondering who he was and where he came from, and finally now he had found his whole family. Though terribly fragmented…his mother was terrified of his father, his sister hated his father…Luke was the thin thread holding the family together. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Luke looked over at his mother, sitting in her chair staring out the window, something he realized was a common part of her day. She was still very beautiful, but a broken soul, a shadow of what she had once been.

It was painfully clear to Luke that Padme had suffered some kind of nervous breakdown after Anakin's turn, and had never recovered. She spent most of her time rocking in her chair, a million miles away. However she was also prone to panic attacks, which struck without warning and left her hysterical. She was yet another casualty of Anakin's tragic legacy. Luke wished he could have seen her back in her youth, before she became a frightened, reclusive shell of a woman. He hoped to ask his father what she had been like…though perhaps it would be too difficult for Anakin.

Luke sighed. He felt such a heavy burden on his shoulders. He was a galactic hero, the defeater of the Empire. His sister was running herself ragged trying to repair the galaxy. His mother was a terrified recluse. He was responsible for his father, for his redemption and return to the light. Luke felt that he needed to protect Anakin, most of the time it felt like Luke was the father and Anakin the son, except during their training sessions. Luke feared for his father, wondering if he had made the right decision to send him off alone after the confrontation with Padme. With the ysalamiri blocking him he was not able to get a sense of his father's state of mind.

"Leia, I think I need to leave," said Luke, taking her aside quietly.  
"What is it Luke? Do you sense something?"  
Luke sighed. "No…that's the problem. I'm worried about Father."  
Leia gritted her teeth. "So am I. I don't know much about the Force, but I know an upset Jedi is not a good thing. Especially when that upset Jedi happens to be the former Darth Vader."  
"Exactly." Luke's eyes were serious.  
"We'll leave today. I am needed back on Coruscant anyway. They are having elections soon. I'll tell Han to get the Falcon ready. You might want to take this time to say goodbye to Mother."  
"Okay."

Luke felt reluctant to leave his mother so soon. But he was torn between her and Anakin. He knew he had to find his Father before something terrible happened.

"Mother?"

It took a few moments for Padme to pull herself back to reality and notice Luke.

"Yes...Luke, my darling. What is it?" She spoke slowly, as if she were talking in her sleep.

"Mother…Leia and I have to leave. We have…important business back on Coruscant." "Oh…." Padme's voice was sad. "I feared you would not stay long."  
"Come with us," Luke begged her. "Back to Coruscant."  
Padme's eyes became wide. "No…no I can't go back."  
"Why not?" Luke was confused.  
"No…Luke, no. I don't…I can't…"  
Even without the Force, Luke could feel the fear radiating from her.  
"Mother, Father is no longer a threat to you…"  
Padme began to tremble. "_I'm not going with you Luke_. I'm sorry."  
Luke lowered his head. "I understand. I'll try to visit as often as I can. I'm…I'm glad to have met you, Mother."  
Padme's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, my Luke! I wondered about you for so long. You have no idea what it means to see you all grown up. You're a man now. I know that you have important work to do. It's your job to repair the mess Ani…your f-father has made. You and Leia together. I'm proud of you."  
"Th-thankyou, Mother." He kissed her on the forehead and took her hand, letting it trail between them as he walked away.

As he strapped himself into the Falcon's cockpit beside his sister, his mother's words echoed in his head. _Repair the mess your father made._ Like the burden on him wasn't heavy enough already.

---

"I have discovered some interesting information about our dear Princess. Information that could greatly assist us."

"Oh yes?"

"It appears that our Princess was adopted."

"Adopted? Yes I knew that, that's old news. You don't get to my position without being privy to certain information. Her parents were the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, and Senator Padme Amidala. Unfortunately Amidala died many years ago, and Darth Vader died on the Death Star. There were reports of him still being alive, but they appear to be unsubstantiated."

"Apparently not. It seems that Padme is not dead, but in hiding on the planet Selonia."

A pause. "Are you sure of this?"

"I tracked the Princess to Naboo. She met with a woman there, then they left for Selonia shortly after. I managed to catch a glimpse of this woman, and I believe she is Padme Amidala. I can't be sure, as I only ever saw Padme once as a child, but I am fairly certain it is her."

_"Find out! If it is her, then bring her to me!"_

---

Luke was straining in his seat as the Millenium Falcon descended on Coruscant. He was anxious to begin his search for Anakin before he did something foolish. As soon as the Falcon touched ground Luke was already unbuckled and heading for the door. Leia was close behind him.

"Do you need me for anything?" he asked her.

"No Luke, you go and find Anakin," she told him. "I'm going to talk to the Senate about the upcoming elections."

"Okay," Luke started to walk away, then stopped. "Leia?"  
"What is it, Luke?"  
"You called him Anakin."  
Leia looked confused. "Yes…that's his name…"  
"You usually call him Vader."  
"Oh." For once Leia didn't have anything to say. Luke smiled and turned to find his father.

---

Anakin sensed Luke and Leia's approach to Coruscant, and went down to the shipping decks to meet them. "Luke!" he waved when he spotted his son leaving the Falcon.

"Father!" Luke's eyes went wide and he ran to his father, almost knocking him down in a fierce embrace.  
"Woah!" Anakin laughed. "I'm glad to see you too, son."  
"Oh Father, I was so worried!" said Luke, the relief in his voice evident.  
"Worried?" Anakin frowned. "Why, was there some danger? Did Leia's attacker strike again? I've been here on Coruscant, I haven't heard…"  
"No danger," said Luke. "I was just so afraid…when you left you were so upset…I thought - the dark side."  
"Oh," sighed Anakin. "I came close, believe me. But I realized that it wouldn't be worth it. I just got my life back. I just got _Anakin _back. I couldn't throw that away."  
"Oh thank goodness," breathed Luke. "I felt terrible, I should never have left you alone like that, I should have gone with you, if you turned I'd never have forgiven myself…"

"Stop right there." Anakin took his son by the shoulders firmly and looked him square in the eye. "You are not accountable for my salvation. I am. It is not your job to watch over me to keep me on the right path. If I fall again, that will be my choice - not yours. Don't become like Obi-Wan, shouldering the blame for something he had no control over."

Luke was gaping. "O-okay, Father."

"You helped me against the Emperor, I don't deny that. But I made the decision to turn back, not you. You couldn't make that choice for me, though you tried. _I_ stood up against Palpatine, _I_ killed him, and _I_ saved you as much as you saved me. Don't forget that."  
"I – won't, F-father…"  
"I am the father, you are the son. I don't want to see you taking on the responsibility for me again. Understood?" He pointed a finger in Luke's face.  
Luke was dumbfounded. "Y-yes, Father."  
"Good."  
Luke looked at his father for a long moment. "Thankyou, Anakin."

---

Luke spun his lightsaber around in the air against an imaginary enemy. It felt good to get out the tension he had been carrying. He had wanted to train with his father again, but Anakin had wanted some time alone to meditate. Now Luke was glad he could train alone without distraction, to think over the events of the past few days.

The conversation with his father had been an immense relief. A weight had been lifted from him now that he knew he didn't have to protect Anakin from the dark side anymore. The words resonated through his mind _train yourself to let go._ Yes, he must let go. If Anakin turned, then that was his destiny. Luke could not control that. He breathed in the Force, exhaling it out again as he pivoted and swung his saber. _The only person I can control is me._ He felt himself letting go, of his fears for his father, his urgency to repair the relationships between Anakin, Padme and Leia. _Mother will need to conquer her own fear. _Luke jumped, flipped and landed on his feet. _Leia will release her own anger and learn to forgive by herself. _Luke rolled, slashing at the air. _It's not for me to make her do anything._ Luke sidestepped and rotated. _Father will correct his own mistakes._ He leaped over an imaginary obstacle. _Their relationships will work out the way they decide, not the way I want them._ Luke backflipped. _The people I love will live their own lives and be who they should be. _He stopped, exhausted and breathing hard.

_And I will be a Jedi._


	17. Chapter 17: Reconnecting

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Seventeen - Reconnecting 

Anakin was glad to have some time alone. He secluded himself in a store room, surrounded by bits and pieces of various tools and machinery. He was home there. He felt good about the conversation he'd had with Luke. Yoda had been right; Luke had been feeling a tremendous amount of responsibility for him. What a heavy burden for such a young man.

Anakin sighed. He hoped that after their talk, Luke would finally be able to let go.

_Let go._

The words haunted him. Anakin felt his lip quiver, and the tears start to burn behind his eyes.

_How can I let her go?_

A sob welled up in his throat and choked him.

_Padme…_

Were Yoda and Obi-Wan right? Was she bad for him? Dangerous?

How could something so strong, be so bad?

The tears spilled out and rolled down his cheeks. "Padme," he whispered. He thought of her, holed up in that tiny house, the look of terror on her face when she saw him.

"What did I do to you?" he said aloud. His shoulders began to shake as he cried. He cried for Padme, the shattered life that he had made for her. Because of him, she had spent her life hiding, alone…

_Alone._

For a split second, Anakin felt a glimmer of pleasure. Pleasure that Padme had not remarried, that she had spent her life alone rather than go on without him…

_She loves me. She belongs to me._

_STOP!_ Anakin caught himself. What he was thinking? They were right! Obi-Wan and Yoda were right! He _did_ want to own her! He should be hoping for her happiness, not rejoicing in her inability to move on! They were right… Anakin's face contorted as he twisted in anguish.

"No!" he whispered. "NO!" His entire body convulsed in horror as he broke down into desperate sobs.

---

Leia felt a brief glimmer of her father in the next room. She hesitated outside the door for a moment, then went in.

Anakin was sitting alone, his head buried in his hands. Leia stood and watched him for a moment. He sensed her presence and looked up. His eyes were swollen, his face red and tear streaked.

"Oh," he said, wiping his eyes hastily. "I didn't realize you wanted to come in here. I'll go." He started to get up.  
"It's ok Anakin, stay where you are," said Leia, gesturing for him to sit back down. He slowly lowered himself, looking at her uncertainly. Leia stood looking down at him, her hands on her hips. "You're afraid of me, aren't you?" she asked curiously.

"Afraid? Me? No of course not..." Anakin stammered. Leia raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, maybe just a little," he confessed.

"How can the big powerful Darth Vader be scared of me?"

He frowned at her. "I've told you, I'm not Darth Vader anymore. I know it's hard for you to accept, but I am Anakin Skywalker. And really, I always was. Somewhere in there, hiding, just waiting for a chance to escape from Palpatine."

"Was it Anakin who tortured me on the Death Star?" Leia said bluntly, her eyes hard. Anakin closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry Leia," he said softly, barely a whisper. "I'm – I'm so sorry. It wasn't me, that was Vader. You were so strong and defiant, you wouldn't give in and tell us the Rebel base location. I wanted…_Vader_ wanted… to break you. I admit it. I didn't like to see anyone strong, because I was so weak myself."

"You felt weak? But you were ruling the Empire!"

"_Palpatine_ was ruling the Empire," he corrected. "I was nothing more than a henchman, a servant who did his bidding. I wasn't even second in command – I had to take orders from Tarkin of all people. You were right when you said he was holding my leash. A short leash at that. When you saw me parading around with my big black suit and cape, you probably thought you saw a powerful man. Well if you could have seen beyond that, you would have seen a crippled, burned little man who was trapped inside that suit, dependant on it to survive, even to breathe. A man who was once great, who sacrificed his life and everything he cared about, to become a slave to an evil man."

Anakin paused and took a breath."I was once Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, Clone Wars Commander. A highly respected hero of the Jedi Order. I was happily married to a woman I loved more than life itself. We were awaiting the birth of our first child…or children, as it turned out. I had it all. I had everything a man could ever want. And I threw it all away…I lost it all! Chasing a string of lies and getting consumed by a twisted hunger for more power. Ironically, in my desire for more power, I lost it all. So I tried to show my power by intimidating and hurting everyone around me. Including you. I thought respect was making everyone afraid of you. But it's not, it's not at all. They all hated me. And I knew, deep down, that I was a fraud. I was not powerful, just a sad man who had nothing to live for and who took out his misery on the world around him."

Leia was watching him, a solemn expression on her face. Anakin could not read her feelings. "I was jealous of you Leia, there on the Death Star," he admitted.

She raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"Yes," he nodded, not able to look at her. "You were so strong. I've seen grown men fall apart and cry for their mothers under an interrogation droid's torture. But you...you sat there and _took_ it…you never gave in. You were not afraid of me. I saw your strength and I wanted it. I saw something in you that I had once seen in myself, something I had lost. You reminded me so much of Padme…it hurt me so badly that I wanted to hurt you back, for making me think of her again. I made you suffer for it. But even after all your suffering, you were not afraid. You almost made me laugh when you told Tarkin you 'recognized his foul stench.' I couldn't believe that someone who had just undergone hours of torture could still be so rebellious and insolent. In that moment I was – well I was proud of you. For what it's worth – you helped me to fight Palpatine and save your brother."

"I…helped you?" Leia raised her head slightly, her eyes full of confusion.

"I – I was standing there, watching Palpatine torture my son. He was killing him and I just stood there. I couldn't do anything. I was too afraid. I was not strong enough to fight the Emperor. But then…I remembered you. I remembered you there on the Death Star and how you refused to give in. Even after Alderaan – " Leia flinched and turned her head away. "…after Alderaan…you had just lost your home, your family, everyone you loved - in a single flash. And even then, you did not give up. I realized that you are my daughter, you are part of me, and if you had that strength then I must have it too. That's how I did it."

Anakin stood up and took a step towards Leia, who was still not facing him. He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder; she tensed but this time did not push him away. "You helped me. When Padme was pregnant with you, I sensed a little girl. I felt you in there and I thought of the name Leia. I was so looking forward to your birth, I loved you even then. I didn't get to know you but I'm proud of the woman you became."

Leia shuddered a little but still refused to look at him. Anakin continued.  
"I thought my daughter died along with Padme. When I first met you, you were everything I thought my little girl would be. You had her name, Padme's eyes, my former strength and courage. I hated you for it. And I punished you, not realizing that you really were _my_ Leia. I'm truly sorry for everything I put you through. And even if you can't ever forgive me, or accept me…well, I'm really proud to have you as a daughter. If it helps you to know this, I hate Vader as much as you do. And if you want revenge on him, then please know that your rejection of me is worse than any torture an interrogation droid could ever give. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, then please – "

"Oh Father!"

Tears streaming down her face, Leia fell into Anakin's arms, much to his astonishment. He pulled her to him and stroked her hair. Her body convulsed, racked by sobs as she cried into his shoulder. "Father – I – " She was having trouble speaking through her tears.  
"It's okay," he comforted her. "You don't have to say anything."

Father and daughter stood holding each other, a lifetime of anger and hatred now bridged. Leia sobbed uncontrollably into Anakin as he rocked her gently.

"Hey Leia, I found – oh!" said Luke, walking in and stopping dead when he saw his father and sister. Leia had not heard him over her own crying, but Anakin gave Luke a small smile and a gentle nod. Luke smiled in amazement, nodded in return and backed out of the room. He shut the door quietly. Luke leaned back against the door, shook his head, and let out a small laugh of relief.


	18. Chapter 18: Disappearance

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Hi guys! Haha, yes Leia finally forgave Anakin. I had such a chuckle reading the comments along the way about how she should hurry up and forgive him, when I knew all along this chapter was coming! Glad to see you all seemed to like it, thanks for all the great comments!**

**VFsnake: You can't kill Leia anymore, she's nice now hahaha!!  
**

**PhantomJedi1: Don't rush the characters? ROFLOL, it took 17 chapters for Leia to forgive Anakin and you think I'm rushing? Hehe I don't think the other readers who were desperate for her to forgive him 10 chapters ago would agree with you there! As for Han, like I said in the chapter, he forgave Lando so it stands to reason that he's a guy who lets things go quite easily. Besides, this story is not about Han and that would be an unnecessary plot point to drag things out like I did with Leia. And the spaces are the make the story easier to read on screen, otherwise it's harder to see if there are huge blocks of text.  
**

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Chapter Fourteen - Disappearance

---

A sudden noise startled Padme. She got up to peer nervously out the window. Was Anakin back to get her?

A hand clamped over Padme's mouth. She tried to scream for help but her cries were muffled. The next thing she knew everything went black.

---

"Morning all."

Anakin walked in and nodded to everyone. He stopped in front of Leia and there was a moment of awkwardness.  
"Good morning, Father," Leia finally said, and stepped forward to kiss him on the cheek.

Han's jaw just about hit the floor. "What the….?"  
"Good morning, Leia," Anakin said evenly. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Yes Father. Better than I have in a long while."  
"That's good to hear." He kissed her forehead. The two turned and walked arm in arm.  
Han was still standing frozen, staring in shock.

"You might want to close your mouth there Han," commented Anakin as they walked by him. "You don't want a stray mynock to fly in there."  
Han snapped his mouth shut. "But...but...but..." He gulped like a fish, blubbering.

Luke was watching approvingly on the other side of the room. Leia said something to Anakin, then left his side and approached Luke. The two stood and considered each other.

"Morning, sis," Luke finally said.  
"Morning, Luke," she replied, watching him carefully.

Another pause.

"So…"  
Leia sighed. "You're not going to rub my face in this, are you Luke?"  
"What?" Luke frowned. "No, why would I? Whatever happened between you and Father is your business. I won't say I'm not happy about it, because I am. Very happy. But it has nothing to do with me. You came to your decision yourself, and you took as much time as you needed to make it."

Leia regarded him for a moment. "You're growing up, Luke."

Luke gave a smile with a slight blush. "So are you still going to make Father stand trial for his war crimes?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
"What? Oh…no, of course not," Leia sighed. "He probably should….I mean he did some terrible things…but he did kill the Emperor. And I think he's paid for his mistakes as much as anyone can. Nobody knows about Anakin Skywalker. I think…I think it's best if the galaxy does not find out who he really is. Vader is missing in action as far as the galaxy is concerned."

"I'm glad you've changed your mind," said Luke.  
Leia shrugged and looked away, a little uncomfortable. She didn't want to be having this conversation. "We talked. I saw…I saw what you've been seeing. Anakin was a young man who followed the wrong path."  
Luke nodded. "You finally saw him as a person."  
"Well, yes." Leia shifted awkwardly.  
"But...I still don't understand the sudden turnaround," mused Luke. "Yesterday you hated him with a vengeance. Now…you're daddy's little girl all of a sudden! Hugging him, smiling when he's around…"

"He's…he's my father. He's part of me." Leia looked at Luke helplessly. She couldn't explain.

Luke smiled. "You don't have to tell me. Whe I found out he was my father, he had just cut off my hand. I hated him with a blind fury. Then he said those words…'I am your Father'…and, I don't know…I just…loved him. I can't explain it. He was evil - but he was my dad."  
Leia nodded energetically, her eyes wide. "Yes, yes! There's this _bond_ there…I felt the same for you when I realized we were twins. I don't know…I grew up knowing I was adopted, I always knew part of me was missing. I knew I had a real father out there, and as a kid I thought he would be some kind of hero..."

"So did I," Luke agreed emphatically.

"...and then finding out he was Darth Vader felt like the death of that hero. I've spent all these years thinking part of me was evil and disgusting, having come from him. To find my _real _father still exists..." Leia's voice trailed off and she shrugged, not knowing what more to say.

Luke patted her arm in understanding. "You're telling the one person who knows how you feel. It took me _years_ between discovering who he was - and accepting that he was my father, and still a good man."  
Leia nodded. "I guess both of us wanted a family all this time. We've been separated for so long. Now we're all together…almost."  
"Yes, almost," sighed Luke. "We just have to convince Mother…"  
"I don't know how easy that's going to be. You saw how she panicked when she saw him!"  
"If you can see the good in him, she will too eventually."  
"I don't know Luke," Leia shook her head doubtfully. "Maybe she will. I don't fully understand the dark side and what it did to him, but I can see that Vader is gone. And I can feel his love for Mother, and his pain over her…"

"With the Force?" Luke asked hopefully.  
"I don't know," frowned Leia. "I don't think it takes a Jedi to feel his pain, you can see it in his eyes. But I thought I felt something…"  
"Does this mean you're willing to study the Force now?"  
"I don't know…." Leia sounded dubious. "I'm still not sure it's something I want to mess with."  
"Even now? Now that you see what a good man Father really is?"  
"Especially now! Seeing what a sweet, gentle man Anakin is – and used to be – terrifies me! If the Force can turn a good person like him into the monster Darth Vader was…" Leia shuddered.  
"But that's why we would teach you and train you," said Luke patiently. "Father was fooled by Palpatine. I almost was too. But I beat the dark side, and now Father is teaching me how to fully deal with it. We can teach you too!'

"Well maybe…but anyway, I don't have the same power that you and Father have."

"Of course you do," encouraged Luke. "You just haven't learned how to use it yet."  
"Maybe." Leia didn't sound convinced. "But I can't really feel it. Just a glimpse now and then. I can't move things with my mind. I couldn't feel a thing when we were close to the ysalamiri. You felt it straight away when you lost the force. I didn't even notice that the Force was gone!"

"That's just because you haven't learned to feel it. I didn't really understand, until Obi-Wan started teaching me. Try something…concentrate, try to move that comlink over there."

Leia's face contorted in concentration. Nothing happened.

"See?" she sighed. "I think the Force skipped a generation with me. Probably you got all the mididorians and I got none."

"It's midi_chlorians_," corrected Luke. "And they did not skip you. You can use the Force, you heard me when I called you on Bespin. "

"That's because we're TWINS," insisted Leia. "Twins can sense each other. I can feel when you're around and I know if something has happened to you…"  
"Well, that's a start," Luke persisted.  
"I don't know about this," sighed Leia. "I've never needed the Force anyway. I'm a diplomat, when am I going to need it?"

"You never know when you're going to be called in for 'aggressive negotiations,' said Anakin, walking up behind them and joining the conversation.

"What would those be?" said Leia, raising an eyebrow at her father as he kissed her affectionately on the cheek.

"Negotiations with a lightsaber," he said with a boyish grin. Luke laughed. Leia just looked skeptically at him.

"Well, your mother thought that was funny," he sniffed.

---

"Miss Leia, I'm sorry to bother you…"  
"No Dorme, you may contact me anytime. What is it?"  
"Well milady, it's just that - Miss Padme is missing! We haven't seen her since your visit. We thought that perhaps Anakin did something…"

"Anakin is with us," said Leia, concern creeping into her voice. "And he would not have done anything to her."  
Anakin's eyes widened at the mention of his name. "What is it?" he mouthed at her, apprehensive.  
Leia sighed. "It appears Mother may have panicked and gone back into hiding when she saw you," she told him with a sorrowful shrug.  
"Oh no…" Anakin sank back into his seat, his face pale.  
"I wondered that myself, milady," said Dorme. "She has done this before, when she thinks Anakin is back. Only this time, he is."  
"Are the ysalamiri still there?  
"No, milady, they are all gone."  
Leia sighed again. "Ok, thankyou Dorme." She switched off the holovid.

Anakin sat with his head down. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. He looked so miserable that it melted Leia's heart.  
"Oh Father, don't be sorry." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "We'll find her. We always do. She's run off somewhere, she'll lay low for a while, then she will contact Dorme or her parents. She's in no danger."  
"I did this to her," he whispered.  
"No, you….well…" Leia tried to think of a way to argue that point, but couldn't. "Yes, you did. You've done a lot of terrible things, and one of the worst was to her. She's lived a hard life because of you, and she's still running from what you did all those years ago."  
She felt Anakin begin to tremble beneath her.  
"But we'll find her," she insisted. "Once we get a chance to really explain, and show her that you've changed, she'll come around. If I can see the good in you, she will too."  
"How will we find her?" he asked through his tears.  
She looked at her father. "She's taken the ysalamiri. That's going to make it hard to detect her. Dorme has no idea where she went. We can only hope that she makes contact with one of us. It may take a while, considering this is the first time she has actually seen you, but I can't imagine she will stay silent for long now that Luke's back."  
"So what are we going to do?"  
Leia shrugged helplessly. "Nothing – for now. We just have to wait."

"Just sit and do nothing?" Anakin's tone was desperate.

"She could be anywhere in the universe! And if she hears that we – especially you – are out searching for her, she'll keep running. Believe me, she's done this before. Sometimes for years at a time – "

"Years?" Anakin's voice shook.

"I'm afraid so. She'll be _alright_."


	19. Chapter 19: Getting Away

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Miss Arie: Yes it is a powerful feeling LOL! It was funny, the first time I posted this, I got a lot of people begging me for Leia to forgive Anakin, getting mad at her, getting mad at me for making them mad at her, and I'd sit and smirk cos I knew she eventually does get over it. I think it wouldn't work nearly as well if the forgiveness scene happened in chapter 3! But now that the Leia suspense is out of the way, y'all have to wait and see what happens with Padme! Will I uncrazy her? Or will I make her Force powerful and become the new Emperor? Or will she put a lampshade on her head and dance on a table in the Cantina?  
**

**Sayuri Akimoto Female Jedi: _"Now I want to know who kidnapped Padme not that I really care she's making me really angry but I just hope she'll change or else she might have to die_****_"_ ROFLOL! Best comment of the day hahaha! You and VFSnake need to start a club hehe! Aw, be nice to Padme, the poor girl's clinically insane.  
**

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Chapter Nineteen: Getting Away

"Missing?"

"I'm sorry Luke. It seems she panicked and disappeared somewhere," explained Leia sorrowfully.  
"But…but…we just _found_ her!" Luke protested in dismay. "How can she just leave us like that!"  
Leia sighed. "You have to understand what she has been through. Father…er, I mean, my _adopted_ Father, Bail Organa, told me that she was once a very strong woman. But after what Vader did to her…something broke inside her. She's lived her life in a permanent state of fear. She's run away like this many times before."  
"Well we have to do something! Ask her family…or that handmaiden of hers…"  
"Even Dorme has no idea where she is."  
"I'll find her then! I should be able to find her through the force…"  
"She has the ysalamiri with her," Leia cut him off.  
Luke was stricken. "But…but…we have to do _something_!"

Leia put a hand on his shoulder. "I had this exact conversation with Father. I'm afraid that there's nothing we can do, until Padme decides to contact her family. It could be awhile, considering what happened with Father."  
"But no! We have to – "

Anakin walked up behind them, sensing Luke's pain. "You heard the news, then?"  
Luke ran to his father and hugged him. "Yes I heard. I can't believe it…just when everything was going so well…"  
Anakin gave a heavy sigh. "I know son."  
"Are you going to do something?" Luke implored him.  
Anakin looked from Luke to Leia, who was standing with a tense expression. "If Leia says she will contact us, she will. I'm the last person who can do something. If I look for her, she may run even further, maybe even into the Unknown Regions where we'll never find her."  
"We have to assume she's somewhere safe, where she will wait until she thinks the threat is over," Leia told them.  
"But…I just…she's my Mom!" objected Luke.  
"She's my mother too!" interrupted Leia. "I'm as worried as you are. But she's done this so many times during my childhood. We'll make ourselves crazy if we agonize over where she is. She won't hide from us forever."  
"But we can't do nothing!" Luke was ready to explode.

_Patience, Luke._

Luke closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "You're right, Leia," he said, opening his eyes. "We must have patience. She will come back to us."  
Anakin nodded approvingly and squeezed his son's arm. Leia looked at her brother. "I know you only just found her," she sympathized. "But she won't hide from you forever. She wanted to find you as much as you wanted her."  
Luke gulped and nodded in return. "I know."  
"She'll come back," said Anakin, as much to convince himself as Luke.  
Luke struggled to pull himself together. "What are we going to do while we're waiting then? Leia's right, we'll go insane just hanging around for word from her."

"Let's take a vacation!" suggested Leia brightly, trying to bring some positivity to the gloomy atmosphere.

Anakin and Luke looked at her as if she'd just grown two Twilek lekku tenticles out of her head.

"YOU take a vacation?" said Luke with a skeptical sneer.

"Who would run the Senate and the politics and the universe and everything?" wondered Anakin, frowning.

Leia scowled. "I do NOT run the universe," she snapped, hands on hips. "I'll have you know Mon Mothma runs the Senate, not me!"  
"She does?" Luke and Anakin looked at each other, nonplussed.  
"Don't you two know anything that goes on? Ever watch the news holos? Mon Mothma was just declared Supreme Chancellor!" Leia informed them, exasperated.  
The boys shrugged. "I've been busy," said Luke casually.  
"I hate politics." Anakin shuddered at the words 'Supreme Chancellor.' "I want nothing to do with it. But I'm very glad to hear that you are not Sup- Supreme…Ch…...the _leader of the Senate_. It's not a job you want, _trust me_. I hope you're not too disappointed that you didn't win though, sweetie. Maybe next time…"  
Leia shook her head in annoyance. "I wasn't even _running_ for election, Father. Shows how much you pay attention…."

"I said I don't like politics!"

"…I don't even want the job. I have too many family commitments - between Han and the two of you causing me endless headaches I have no intentions of taking on a high demand position as Supreme Chancellor."  
Anakin shuddered again. "Good."  
"But hey Mister 'I Hate Politics'…didn't you once say you wanted to help me with the new government?" Leia suddenly remembered.  
"I was just saying that to make you like me," answered Anakin innocently.

Leia glared, not knowing whether to laugh or smack him. She found Anakin infuriating. One minute he was a loving father, the next a petulant child.

"So does that mean we're going on vacation?" Luke changed the subject, still unconvinced.  
"Yes!" said Leia, with a decided nod, deciding to drop it with Anakin for the moment. "It will be the first Skywalker family holiday and it will be good for us. We've all been though hell the last few years and we deserve it."  
"If you say so," said Luke dubiously.  
"I suppose it could be nice," considered Anakin. "It would be a chance to act like a family for once, and get to know each other. There's still so much I don't know about you two."  
Leia nodded. "Exactly my thinking. Since we all met, we've been caught up with endless fighting and drama and we've hardly had a moment to spend together. The Empire is gone, things are under control – and the three of us have a LOT to work out with each other."  
"I like the idea," agreed Anakin. "I missed out on so much of your lives already. Let's do it. But where will we go?"

"Ooh can we go to Corellia!" said Luke, suddenly excited. "I want to see the shipyards where they build the ZT68 Star Cruisers!"  
"Oh that sounds great!" agreed Anakin enthusiastically. "Han would enjoy that too…"  
Leia rolled her eyes. "Men. No, I was thinking Tatooine."

"TATOOINE?" Luke and Anakin looked at her in horror.

"Yes…" began Leia.  
"It's just a desert!" protested Luke. "I lived half my life there and I never planned on going back! You were there too, why would you want to return!"  
Anakin looked at his daughter curiously. "Why do you choose Tatooine?"  
"I've been thinking about the story you told, about your mother," explained Leia seriously. "I want to go and visit the gravesite you talked about. Our _grandmother's _grave." She looked pointedly at her brother.  
Luke calmed down from his tirade immediately. "Oh," he said. "That's actually quite a nice idea."  
"What better place to spend our first family holiday, than the place it all began?" said Leia. "It's you and Father's home, it's where he met Mother, where our grandmother lies…"  
Anakin smiled, emotion welling up inside him. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

---

"Remind me again why we're going back to that dismal hole of a planet?" Han asked with disdain as he dragged Leia's luggage to the Falcon. "It's a family thing," Leia said dismissively.  
"I don't wanna go there," he pouted.  
"Well you're going, and you're going to like it," Leia put him in his place.  
"What if I trip and fall in the Sarlaac Pit? What will you do _then_?"  
"Oh Han." Leia rolled her eyes. He was almost as infuriating and childish as Anakin.  
"I don't know why you want to go there anyway," he muttered.  
"I already told you," Leia said impatiently.  
"You don't take holidays anyway," said Han. "I've known you six years, you don't take holidays."  
"I do now."  
"Hmph. If you're not controlling everyone and everything, you go insane."  
"That's why I have you, sweetie."

Han grumbled to himself.  
"I need a break from my Senate work," added Leia.  
"What, politics not working out for you, want to try out being a Hutt Slave Girl again?"  
Leia shot him a look that would terrify a Rancor. Han however, was completely oblivious. "It's really too bad I was blind. Lando tells me you looked dynamite in that little slave costume of yours."  
Leia glowered. "You didn't miss much. There wasn't much of it to see. If I bent over, you could see all the way to Dantooine."  
Han gave a wicked grin. "That's why I wish I could have seen it."  
"It didn't cover anything you haven't seen before, darling," Leia said sweetly.  
Han raised his eyebrows. "Still wish I could have seen it. Don't suppose you kept it?"  
"Just get in the ship Han. Try to keep your mind above waist level."  
Han grinned. "Yes, Your Worshipfulness." Chuckling to himself, he picked up his bags and started up the ramp to the Falcon.

"Oh, and Han?"

"Yeah?"

"I did keep it. And if you behave yourself, you might just get to see it."


	20. Chapter 20: Visions from the Force

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Twenty - Visions from the Force

In the distance, shimmering in the heat, appeared the domed shapes of the former Lars moisture farm. Anakin and Luke immediately began to experience flashbacks of painful memories upon seeing the farm. Luke remembered his aunt and uncle and the horror of discovering their burned and charred remains. Anakin grasped the handrail tightly as he recalled his short time spent at this farm, the fear and worry for his mother only to find her beaten and dying at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. The tears stung his eyes, still fresh even after all these years. He felt an arm slide across his back, and found Leia beside him, looking at him with big eyes. He wrapped an arm around her, knowing that she too had lost her family as he had. She understood.

As the speeder stopped at the farm, it was clear the farm had been abandoned for many years. The buildings still bore blackened scars from the Imperial Attack. Tuskens and Jawas had raided the farm for anything of value.

"Home sweet home, huh Luke?" said Han, trying to break the obvious tension.  
"Nothing but bad memories here," sighed Luke. "Even the good memories are of people who are dead now. Biggs, my aunt…"  
Anakin fought a fresh wave of guilt that was welling up inside. Had he made different choices after his mother's death, his children would not have suffered as he had. He swallowed hard.  
"Okay so the grave site was just over here. But I don't see the markers…"  
"I remember something being there when I was younger," recalled Luke. "But my uncle took them down. I asked him why, and he told me to mind my business. He was always doing that." Luke sighed. He never would understand why his uncle kept his real life such a secret. "I always thought one of the graves belonged to my Father." He grinned at Anakin. "Turns out, I was wrong."

Anakin stepped to where the graves should be. "Yes…" he said thoughtfully. "It was right here. I remember, I was kneeling here, Owen, Beru and Cliegg were behind me." He picked up the sand and let it drain through his fingers as he had that day. "And Padme was there too," he added wistfully, his voice barely a whisper.  
Leia slowly knelt down beside him. "Hello grandmother," she said softly. Luke followed, feeling a little awkward. "Um, hi grandmother," he said. "I'm your grandson Luke. Sorry I never knew you were here."  
"This is my family," Anakin told the unmarked grave. "We're almost all together. I'm…I'm doing just fine now. I was…a little lost for a while there. I…I really hope you haven't been watching all these years. You would have been so ashamed…"  
"No!" protested Luke and Leia.  
"I hope you were looking over my children here instead," Anakin continued. "They're the ones to be proud of."  
"She would be proud of you too," insisted Leia firmly. Luke nodded his agreement.

Han and Chewie stood back, clearly uncomfortable, watching. Chewie remembered his own family on Kashyyk, whom he had not seen in years. Han didn't really understand what was going on, having never had a real family of his own. He found himself wondering if he would, one day.

Anakin suddenly lifted his head. His face went blank for a moment.  
"She's here," he said, eyes wide.  
"What? Who?" asked Han.  
Luke gasped. "I felt it too."  
"Felt what?" Han frowned.  
"Yes…I definitely sense it…"  
"Sense WHAT?" Han was growing frustrated.  
"Mother," Luke answered him, looking into the sky.  
"Padme," said Anakin. "She's here."  
That got Leia's attention. She snapped around. "Here on Tatooine? Why?"

Anakin looked to Luke. "Do you think she came here to hide from me?"  
Luke considered him for a moment. "It's possible…it's a remote location. And clearly nobody thought you would come here again…"  
Anakin frowned. "She's gone. The presence…I lost it."  
Luke searched through the Force. "Yes…I can't feel her either!"  
"What does that mean?" Leia looked worried.  
"Well, it could mean she…that she…just died..." Anakin's voice choked on the words.  
"No," said Luke, concentrating. "I think I'd feel it if she was dead. It's more like she just… disappeared!"  
"Maybe she left the planet?" suggested Han. "Maybe she was here a minute ago, and took off?"  
Leia nodded. "That's the best explanation I can think of. Certainly if she got word that Anakin was here, she'd have left."

"Perhaps," considered Luke. "But something doesn't feel right."  
"Did you get a sense of how she felt?" asked Leia. "Was she suffering?"

"I felt….a lot of fear," said Luke.  
"Fear of me." Anakin dropped his head.  
"Perhaps…." Luke was distant as he tried to get a sense of his mother.  
"There!" he cried. "I felt her again! Did you feel it Father?" Anakin closed his eyes. "Yes…just for a second," he acknowledged.  
"She's still here then!"  
Han was bewildered "What are the odds of her being on the one planet we came to visit?"  
Anakin and Luke looked at each other. "Will of the Force!" they said in unison.  
"So that's what it was…" Leia said to herself thoughtfully, looking off into the distance. "I wonder…."  
"Wonder what?" asked Anakin, turning to her curiously.  
"Well...it's just that I had a weird dream….a little green man told me if I went to Tatooine, I could put my family back together. When I woke up, I thought of my grandmother and it seemed like a nice idea to bring us all closer…"  
Luke and Anakin's eyes were wide as they looked first at Leia, then at each other.  
"Did the little green man have big eyes and pointy ears?" asked Luke eagerly.  
"Yeah, and did he talk backwards?" added Anakin.  
Leia frowned. "Yes…how the hell did you know that?"  
"Yoda!" they both said.  
"What the heck are you talking about?" Han was getting very tired of their Jedi double talk.  
"Yoda visited you!" cried Luke. "You can use the Force, Leia!"  
Leia just looked confused. "It was just a dream…"  
"A Force dream," explained Anakin. "That was our Jedi Master, Yoda. He was trying to tell you where Padme was!"

"Who was?" Han turned his head back and forth for an answer.

"That's amazing." Leia was wondrous. "I never thought I had that power…"

"What power?" Han's face was turning purple.

"This means something," Anakin said seriously, pulling his head up. "We've been brought here to find Padme. We need to look for her. I must speak to her."

"Are you sure you should see her again?" Luke looked at him doubtfully. "Would it be…good…for either of you?

Anakin sighed. "Look, I realize that she may not ever accept me. I have made my peace with the situation. I know that my life with Padme is over. I have you and Leia, which is more than I ever could have asked for and more than I deserve. I don't want to hurt her, nor do I want to compromise myself and the progress I've made. But I will not have her tearing around the universe in terror for the rest of her life in some misdirected fear of me! She needs to know that she can have her life back. Return to Naboo, resume her public life if she wishes. Remarry, if that she what she wants. I just have to make sure she knows she is free now. If she wants to stay away from me, that's ok. But we must tell her she need not hide on this wasteland of a planet. She can go home. I'm no threat to her."

Leia nodded supportively. "I agree. If she is here as you say, it's a good opportunity to explain things to her. I don't like the idea of just leaving her."

"Um, don't mean to be a wet blanket here, but how exactly are you going to find her?" Han looked skeptical. "This is a huge planet, and you're going by a feeling that disappears every time you get it?"

Luke and Anakin looked at each other uncertainly. "We should head in the direction we felt her presence. Hopefully we will sense her again as we get closer," proposed Anakin."That sounds good," nodded Luke. "I wonder why we keep losing her…"

"I imagine it has something to do with the ysalamiri," said Leia. "If she walks away from them, you feel her. When she moves back, she's gone."

Anakin and Luke looked at her, suddenly understanding. "Of course!"

"We should get moving now, before it gets dark. The Sand People come out at night, and we do not want to mess with them," advised Luke.

Anakin made a scoffing noise. "The last time I met Sand People, they were the ones not wanting to mess with me. They don't scare me. If they try to get near us, they'll be sorry. After what they did to my mother…"

"Father," warned Luke in a cautionary tone.

"I know, I know," he said, suddenly sounding every bit the scolded child.

---

Anakin and Luke sat on the speeder, crossed legged, eyes closed, deep in a Jedi trance. Every now and then one of them spoke up. "I feel her! This way!" and directed Chewie which way to steer the speeder.

Leia leaned on the side, watching the sandy landscape zoom by. A few times she closed her eyes and tried to feel whatever it was her brother and father were searching for. But she felt nothing. She bit her lip in frustration. Sometimes she thought she could feel something. She'd heard Luke that day on Bespin, and she'd felt when he survived the Death Star. She had a dream about some weird green Jedi, though she wondered if she actually needed to be force capable to be visited. Surely only HE needed those abilities to reach her.

"A credit for your thoughts, Miss Organa?" Han's voice interrupted her reverie.  
"Skywalker," she corrected absently.  
"Huh?"  
"My name is not Leia Organa, it's Leia Skywalker. Organa was my adoptive name. Now I am back with my real family. I am a Skywalker."  
"Oh," said Han, frowning a little. He shrugged. "Okay, Miss Skywalker."

From within his Jedi trance, Anakin opened one eye and smiled to himself.


	21. Chapter 21: Finding Padme

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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**Hello everyone and thanks for the great comments! God, you guys have me in stitches with every chapter, soon I think the comments page is going to be more interesting than the story cos you guys are so freakin funny!!!!**

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Chapter Twenty One - Finding Padme

"Here, here…no, damnit, I lost it," said Luke, eyes closed.  
"I felt it too," added Anakin.

A large and familiar building loomed up in front of them.  
"Oh dear, not this dreadful place," moaned Threepio. Chewie slowed down the speeder.  
"Jabba's Palace?" asked Han with disdain.

Anakin and Luke closed their eyes and concentrated. "I don't feel anything," concluded Luke.  
"Neither do I," agreed Anakin. "Let's get closer though. This is the only building in the area."

Chewie stopped the speeder outside the large doors of the palace.

"I feel weird," commented Luke as they stepped out of the speeder and walked around. "It's…it's the same as at Mother's house."  
"I feel it too," said Anakin.  
"Must be ysalamiri again," said Leia. "Yes…I think you're right."  
"I thought you couldn't feel the Force?" said Luke, turning to her curiously.  
"Not like you can…but I can feel something, something _missing_."  
"Good," smiled Anakin, patting his daughter on the shoulder.  
"She must be here then, if the ysalamiri are here," said Luke.  
"At Jabba's Palace?" said Han with a skeptical sneer. "Why the heck would she be there?"  
Luke turned to Anakin. "Would you look for her here?"  
Anakin shook his head. "Never in a million light years."  
"That's your answer then," said Luke. "Artoo, can you get any life readings?"  
Artoo beeped an affirmative.  
"There's someone in there alright," said Luke. "But who?

They ventured further into the seemingly abandoned palace.

"I'm really starting to hate these ysalamiri things," Anakin muttered. "What's the point of being a Jedi if they can take the Force from you? Imagine these things got out, Jedi would become useless."  
"Then we'd have to rely on old fashioned diplomacy," said Leia haughtily. "There are other skills in life than mysterious powers…"  
"…and hokey religions," added Han.  
"Just like her mother," Anakin mumbled to himself.

Artoo suddenly beeped frantically. Without warning they were surrounded by Gamorrean guards. Without the use of the Force, Anakin and Luke were taken completely by surprise. They immediately drew their lightsabers while Han, Leia and Chewie whipped out their own weapons.

"Hand over your weapons," one growled.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" said Han. The two groups stood at a stand off, weapons pointed at each other. "Drop your weapons," growled one guard.  
"I don't think so," said Han.  
Anakin flipped off his lightsaber and tossed it to the guards without hesitation.  
"Do it," he ordered the others.  
"Why should we?" objected Han.  
"It's clear that Padme is here. The ysalamiri are here, we felt her presence here, this is her hiding place. These guards are hers. She'll never let us in with weapons blazing. If we want to see her, we need to give up our weapons," clarified Anakin.  
Luke immediately switched off his own saber and threw it to the guards. "He's right."  
Leia was next to abandon her weapon. Han reluctantly gave up his blaster. Chewie was a little harder to convince, clinging to his bowcaster.  
"Come on, pal," he urged him. "They want to find their mom." Chewie growled in protest, but finally handed over his weapon.

The guards collected the weapons and gestured for them to follow. Anakin, Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie were taken to the former throne room once belonging to Jabba the Hutt. Leia shuddered, remembering her days as a slave girl to the vile Jabba.

"Your mom's taken over Jabba's corporation?" Han asked Leia out of the corner of his mouth. "She's tougher than we gave her credit for."  
"I hardly think she's running a Hutt Empire," said Leia sarcastically. "This is one of her more creative ways of hiding from Father, I'm guessing."

As they rounded the corner all five stopped in horror at the being sitting in front of them.

"Welcome!" it boomed.

"Jabba!" gasped Han.  
Sitting on the throne was a large slobbering Hutt, grinning at them.  
"No…no it's not Jabba…it can't be…" frowned Leia. "I killed him myself."  
"That's not Jabba," pointed out Luke. "This one is smaller than him, and a different colour. And I think this one's a girl..."

He was right. Slightly shorter, a little thinner, and a lighter brown than Jabba, it was still as ugly and slimy as the original.

"My name is Jessa," the Hutt introduced herself. "I am Jabba's daughter. I have taken over his operation."  
"Are you the one who has been hunting us?" asked Leia, as things suddenly fell into place.

"No. That was my good friend here, Boba," replied Jessa. Boba Fett stepped forward.  
"Boba Fett!" exclaimed Han. "But you're de…you fell into the Sarlaac Pit. I saw you!"  
"You pushed me more like it," growled Boba. "Luckily Jessa was close enough to send down a rescue to get me out."  
"Boba here was kind enough to help me out with an…old debt," leered Jessa.  
Luke and Han exchanged glances. Suddenly a lot of things made sense.

"But…why?" asked Leia. "Why send him after us? What have we done to you?""  
"You – " said Jessa, pointing a slimy arm at Leia. "Killed my father."

There was a moment of silence as all eyes turned to Leia.

"So you've been trying to kill me instead?" she gasped. "Yes…at first. But your Jedi friends made Boba's work a little more difficult than usual. So we thought…eye for an eye instead." She gave a simpering grin.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Han.  
"I have merely taken her mother in a fair exchange."  
"Mother!" cried Leia and Luke, as Anakin yelped "Not Padme!"  
"Yeees," she leered. "I'm quite impressed that you managed to find her so soon. Who tipped you off?"  
"N-nobody," said Leia, looking worried. "We just happened to be here, and my friends sensed her…it's a coincidence."  
"Will of the Force," Anakin whispered, almost to himself.  
"What do you plan to do with her?" interrupted Luke anxiously.

"Kill her of course. There is a debt that must be paid."


	22. Chapter 22: Showdown

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Twenty Two: Showdown

NO!" screamed Anakin, lunging forward. "Let her go you disgusting piece of –"

"Calm down Father," Luke whispered, pulling him back. "You won't help her like this."   
Anakin closed his eyes and breathed. "She's going to kill Padme," he said helplessly.  
"Remember what you taught me? Never rush in? Never let your attachments drive you to anger?" Luke reminded him quietly.  
Anakin put his head down and nodded. "Yes. I have taught you well my son."  
"We've been in this situation before," said Luke calmly. "We always find a way out."  
"Not this time," laughed Jessa, clearly enjoying the entertainment. "I had planned to just kill her and send you the remains. But since you're all here, this could make quite a show. Unlike my father, I do not believe in overly elaborate and easily escapable executions. No Rancors or Sarlaac Pits for you. Guards, bring her to me!"

Two Gamorrean guards walked in dragging Padme between them. Her head hung down and her eyes were firmly on the floor.

"Padme!" Anakin called her name in anguish, and again had to be restrained by Luke. Padme did not look at him. He felt the familiar hatred and rage welling up within him. But without the ability to use the Force, he didn't get the same power that he once did. He just felt weak and helpless like he had his entire life. The guards shackled Padme to the same wall Han had once hung from in his carbonite prison.

"Now," said Jessa. "Kill her."  
The guards raised their blasters.

"WAIT!"

The attention turned to Anakin. "Take me instead."

"You?" said Jessa. "Who are you? You are nothing to me. This woman killed my father. I must take one of her family as retribution. Guards -"

"I am Leia's father."

The guards hesitated, looking to Jessa for guidance. "Her father? I was under the impression her father was Darth Vader, is that not correct?" queried Jessa.  
"I am Anakin Skywalker, formerly Darth Vader and the biological father of Leia. If there is a debt to be paid, let me pay it. She killed your father, now you may take hers. Just let Padme go."

Jessa paused and considered him for a moment. "Is this true, Princess Organa?" Leia looked at her father, her face filled with dismay. 'Y-yes. Yes he is. My true name is Leia Skywalker and this is my father."  
"Very well," said Jessa. "The exchange may be made. But do not try anything funny or they will both be killed."  
"Thankyou, Your Excellency," Anakin bowed to her.  
"Father!" cried Luke. "Are you sure about this?"  
"It is the only way I can save your mother," said Anakin, as a Gamorrean guard pulled him roughly away. "And the only way to make up to her all that I took away…"

Padme was released from the constraints. She ran into Leia's arms. "Oh Mother, thank goodness," breathed Leia.  
Padme turned back to Anakin who was now being chained to the wall. "He – he saved me," she whispered. "He's giving up his own life for me."  
"Yes, Mother," murmured Leia into Padme's ear. "He loves you."

Luke was torn, a mass of terror and confusion. He was in an impossible situation – either way one of his parents would die. He could not use the Force to stop the blasts, or choke the guards. He eyed his lightsaber, sitting beside Jessa. Without the Force he would never move fast enough to grab it and get back in time to stop the blasts. And they were surrounded by guards who would shoot him the moment he moved…

"Now," boomed Jessa. "No more interruptions, no more noble sacrifices."  
"I need to say goodbye!" cried Leia, running forward. She was immediately stopped short by the guards turning blasters in her face.

She looked Anakin in the eye.

"I love you, Father."

Anakin nodded. "I love you too Leia."

"Enough! No more sentimental rubbish!" roared Jessa. "Kill him."

Suddenly a blast rang out, shattering the lights and plunging Jabba's palace into total darkness. Several more blasts sounded, before the guards joined in and soon the place was in chaos with blasts flying. "Get down!" cried Luke, grabbing Padme and throwing her down to the floor. He threw himself protectively over her.

There was a sudden snap-hiss and the blue blade of Luke's lightsaber shone through the darkness. There were sounds of grunts and groans, as the lightsaber slashed furiously in the air. Then abruptly, everything was silent save for the humming of the lightsaber. Luke raised his head from the floor and, to his surprise, saw Leia's face illuminated in the glow. Luke then realized that he could once again feel the Force flowing through him. He leaped up and used it to pull one of the guard's blasters to himself.

"What is this?" screeched Jessa. "Fix the lights! One of Jessa's many servants managed to light a lantern, revealing the scene around them. Gamorrean guards littered the floor, all shot dead. The ysalamiri cages were in pieces, scorched by blaster bolts, the ysalamiri blown to shreds. Leia was standing in the middle of the carnage, wielding Luke's lightsaber with a fierce expression on her face.

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" Jessa rocked back and forth on her podium, waving her arms frantically. The palace once again plunged into anarchy as various guards and bounty hunters scrambled for weapons while others dashed for cover. Han and Chewie were quick to acquire blasters and join the mêlée .

Padme lay frozen, curled up in a ball. After all those years living her peaceful, reclusive life, she was suddenly in the middle of all this shooting. Maybe if she closed her eyes it would all go away.

Opening one eye slightly, she saw her daughter boldly engaged in battle, swinging left and right with a lightsaber. Turning her head slightly, her son Luke was valiantly blasting guards.

Padme saw an image in her mind, someone she used to know. A young woman with a blaster in her hand. Her eyes were determined. This was a girl who knew what she wanted, who let nothing stand in her way.

The young woman was herself. Padme Naberrie Amidala. Youngest Queen of Naboo. Senator. Warrior. She had once fought off a vicious Nexu with no weapons. At 14, she'd kept blasters in her royal throne. She knew how to fight. That girl was still there, somewhere. She had not been destroyed, merely buried.

She shook herself and slowly rose to her feet. It was like waking up from a long sleep. Padme Skywalker had been curled up in fear for too long. No more.

She bent to retrieve a nearby blaster. She crouched in a corner and fired. Before she knew it she was taking out the attackers with deadly accuracy. She hadn't forgotten.

Luke turned and looked at her with a surprised smile. She nodded to him, a new focus in her eyes. This was her family, and she would protect them. The old Padme she had hidden for too long, was back.

Boba Fett stepped out and aimed his blaster towards Leia, who had her back turned. Sensing it immediately, she spun around and deflected the blast with the precision of a Jedi Master. Anakin wrenched his arms and legs, pulling the shackles clear out of the wall. "That's my daughter you're shooting at!" Anakin roared at Boba.

He flew out from his restraints and force pulled his own saber from Jessa, who was desperately clinging to it as though it might save her. With super speed he was suddenly in front of Boba. "No one shoots at Darth Vader's daughter, bounty hunter." Boba didn't even have time to feel afraid. With a slash Boba was gone.

Anakin and Leia made short work of the bounty hunters with their lightsabers, while Luke, Padme, Chewie and Han shot the rest with their stolen blasters. Soon it was just them and Jessa, still flapping around frenetically.

"Who wants her?" snarled Leia, brandishing Luke's saber threateningly.  
"No," begged Jessa. "Don't kill me, don't kill me!"  
"Father," said Leia, her eyes ablaze. "Would you like to do the honors?"  
"No," said Anakin, regarding her peacefully.  
"Well then," said Leia. "Allow me." She stepped forward, as Jessa cowered before her

"STOP!" commanded Anakin.

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**Kent: Thanks for the reviews, you really put a lot of thought into them and I love reviews like that.  
Just wanted to address a few things:  
I'm really confused about your rant about cussing, I haven't used any swear words in this story. Not quite sure what you meant there, I don't even use cuss words in my NC-17 stuff, certainly not a G rated story.   
About lightsabers being too fast: It _did _take several weeks. I just didn't spell it out because that would drag out the story.  
About Mara Jade: Apart from the fact that she's a EU character and technically doesn't count in the canon Star Wars world, Luke doesn't know about her and doesn't find out until Tim Zahn's Heir To The Empire several years later. As for Obi-Wan and Yoda, they may have a reason not to mention her to Luke.  
_"Just because its AU doesn't mean you can just make stuff up."_ Uh, yeah it does! That's the very definition of AU! Besides, there's a lot of argument that she could have faked her death, see msg board on star wars dot com.****  
Wedge Antilles and other characters: Don't care about 'em. If they ain't Skywalker, they ain't interesting and ain't relevant to this story anyway. ****  
Anyway hope that explains some things for you, and do keep reading because some things you've mentioned get explained later in the story!**

******Tigerstar: About Jessa: I made her up, she's named after someone I know (giggle)  
Ysalamiri were invented by Tim Zahn...um you got me there on pronounciation...I say "sallameery" but that could be wrong. There is a book that explains all the aliens and characters with pronounciation, I'll check it next time I'm in the bookstore.  
**

******Sayuri: You're so funny, I hope you write a comedy story hahaha! I'll read it! Hmm, maybe I'll write a character called Sayuri Akimoto into my story, who just jumps out from behind corners to smash Padme with a vase. And then disappears. And everyone's like "What the heck was that???"**

******Darth Riven: Yes I know that Hutts are both but as you said, they can become female. There is one of the novels..can't remember which where there is a female Hutt who had been a male, one of the NJO I believe. I don't wanna fill up my story with unnecessary detail like Hutt reproduction though, especially at a critical moment... **

******On second thought, that could be funny...  
_ Luke: This one seems to be a girl...  
Han: Actually Luke, Hutts are both male and female and only become female during reproduction...  
Luke: I didn't know that! How interesting Han, I never knew you knew so much about Hutts.  
Han: Oh yes Luke, Hutts are a fascinating species! Did you know they give birth to live young?  
Luke: Really? How exciting!  
Jessa: Excuse me, can we get back to the killing please?!_**


	23. Chapter 23: Breaking the Pattern

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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION

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Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Pattern

Leia turned toward him in angry confusion.

"Don't do it," Anakin told her.

"Why?" asked Leia, livid. "She tried to kill you. She wanted to kill your beloved Padme. Don't you want revenge?"  
"No," said Anakin calmly. He pulled the saber from Leia's hands with the Force.  
"Hey!" she protested, reaching for it in vain.  
"A Jedi does not attack in anger. A Jedi does not take revenge. A Jedi does not strike an unarmed opponent."  
"But I'm not a Jedi!" objected Leia. "And I want my revenge! Her father made me be his slave, she threatened my family…"  
"You _are _a Jedi, Leia," Anakin told her, cool and composed. "You have proven this today with your use of the Force. You have taken your first step as a Jedi. A powerful step, considering that this is the first time you have used the force, and you managed to single handedly free us all. But I will not allow that step to take you to the dark side."

"But I can kill this – this slime," she sneered, gesturing to the quivering Jessa. "She deserves it, that won't make me go to the dark side…"

_"You don't know the power of the dark side."_

"He's right Leia," put in Luke. "She's not worth it. We're safe, let's go. Forget her."   
"But I can't…after all she's done…" Leia looked helplessly at them.  
"Let it go," said Anakin. "Let…it…_go_."  
"Please Leia," pleaded Padme, grasping Leia's arm. "Don't become like your father. I saw him, I saw what he became. Don't do it Leia, I don't want to lose you like I lost him. Please."  
Leia looked around at her family members like they'd all lost their minds. She looked to Han for help.  
"Han," Leia beseeched him. _"You _understand…"  
"Hey," said Han, throwing his hands up. "You Jedi are not like the rest of us. If they say you'll go dark side, don't do it."  
Leia sighed in resignation. "Han I really expected you to –"

In all their arguing, nobody had noticed Jessa's hand creeping around behind her, reaching for a thermal detonator.

In a flash Han unexpectedly whipped out his blaster and blew Jessa away. He turned back to Leia. "Hey, I said _you_ shouldn't do it. Me, I'm not a Jedi. I can do what I like."  
Leia's thunderous face suddenly broke into a huge smile. "I love you," she grinned.  
"Mmm hmm," said Han. "I know." He pulled her to him and the two shared a passionate kiss.  
"Aww," blushed Luke. Anakin gave a sad smile. "They remind me of your mother and me," he murmured to Luke. "We were so in love…"

"We were, weren't we?"

Anakin turned to face Padme, who was standing with her arms folded. The haunted, vacant look on her face was gone and had been replaced with the fiesty, determined expression he had always known. "Oh…I didn't know you were listening. Oh!" He was suddenly anxious. "Are you okay, were you hurt in all the fighting?"  
"I'm fine, Luke took good care of me," she said, looking at her son with affection. "He's brave and selfless, just like his father."  
Anakin couldn't take his eyes off her. "Thankyou, Padme." The two stared at each other for a long moment. Luke stepped back, sensing he was not needed in the conversation.

"You were going to die for me back there."

Anakin nodded. "I would have done anything to save you."  
"It really is you, isn't it?" asked Padme, searching in his eyes. "That – that thing you were. Vader. He's gone?"  
"Yes," Anakin looked down, a tear rolling from the corner of his eye. "That wasn't me. He's gone, I swear to you."  
Padme reached up and wiped the tear with her fingertips. "I missed you Ani."  
"I missed you too." Anakin's voice cracked and his jaw began to tremble.  
"Welcome home…" Padme could hold back her own tears no longer. She fell against Anakin, who held her tight, shaking with his own tears.  
"I love you." His voice shook with emotion.  
"I love you too. I never stopped loving you. All those years I was hiding, part of me hoped you would find me, just so I could see you again. Even if you killed me, at least I'd be with you one more time!" sobbed Padme. She put her hand inside her shirt and pulled out the japoor snippet Anakin had given her as a child. "No matter what I did, I could never let you go."  
"I'm sorry Padme. I'm so sorry," he wept.  
"I forgive you. I'm just so glad you're back." She pulled back to look at him. He looked back at her, taking her in. Her lips approached his, and they kissed for the first time since that day on Mustafar.

"Sweet," said Han, resting his head on Leia's.  
"Those are my parents," sighed Leia. "Together again."  
"Hey I just gotta ask…" Han pulled back to look at her. "How'd you blow the lights back there? And the ysalamiri thingies too?" he asked. Leia smiled and pulled up her pants leg, revealing a small blaster strapped to her ankle.  
"Never leave home without it." She gave Han a wicked grin.  
"Ahh, I love you!" he said, kissing her forehead.

"I know."

"Marry me."

"Well…I don't know if I want to marry a nerf herder…"

"_Leia_…."  
"Okay, okay!" she laughed. "Yes."  
"What was that?" asked Han, straining his ear. "I didn't quite hear that."  
"Yes!" shouted Leia playfully. "Yes I'll marry you!"  
"That's more like it!" He picked her up and twirled her. "Oh – wait, I forgot!" Han put her down and turned to Anakin. "May I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage?"  
Anakin put on a mock serious face. "Well young man, first I need to know - what are your intentions with my daughter?"  
"To love, obey and cherish…well, mostly _obey _with Leia around…"  
"Hey!" Leia tried to frown, but laughed and punched his arm instead.  
"You have my blessing…" Anakin began.  
"_Our_ blessing," corrected Padme, taking his arm. Anakin grinned down at her and squeezed her lovingly.  
"Our blessing," he agreed.

They left Jabba's palace, Han and Leia arm in arm, Anakin and Padme holding onto each other like they would never let go again. Luke walked slowly at a distance behind them.  
"I guess everything worked out great," he said to Artoo. "So why do I feel like a fifth wheel?" Artoo chirped a response. Luke sighed. "Everyone ended up together except me. Do you think I'll ever find someone?" Artoo beeped again.

Standing in the shadows was a single figure, watching Luke. She aimed her blaster at him, then thought better of it. She would get another chance. Mara Jade put away her weapon and waited.

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THE END

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**Final chapter everyone! HUGE thanks to everyone for supporting this story!**

**To the people who kept mentioning MaraJade: Haha! She did make an appearance after all! I love Mara, she's the best EU character there is. When I orignally posted this a year ago quite a few people didn't know who she is: quick explanation in case some of you don't know, she was an assistant to the Emperor who is sent to kill Luke. She escapes Palpatine's programming, becomes a Jedi, and all you really need to know about her is she eventually marries Luke ;)**

**Thanks for keeping me in stitches every week with your hilarious comments, especially VFSnake, Sayuri Akimoto, Mord Sith Raul and Sith Knight-Galen the resident comedians. I'll have to write a sequel just to get your funny feedback again. And I just might write Sayuri into it ;)  
**

**Padmeonpaper: Go read the little sketch at the end of chapter 19. I am NOT writing an explanation of Hutt reproduction in the middle of a critical chapter!  
**

**Keley: Of course you can write your story, this certainly isn't the only "Anakin survives ROTJ" story out there! There are some great AU post-ROTJ stories out there! I only have a problem with the one that used 95 of my storyline. **

**Arie: Ok now mine is finished, you gotta finish yours!!! PLEEAAASE!!!**

**Lachrin: Thanks for your kind words, it annoyed the hell out of me, but yes I must have had a few good ideas if they were worth stealing!  
**

**Faithful Cherry Blossum: Thanks so much for all your sweet comments along the way. See, Anakin and Padme together again just like you wanted:)  
**

**Thanks to BabaPip, Phantom Jedi1, Aerocat, Tigerstar's Innocence, Firechildslitherin, Haydenfan, SB Michael B Jackson, Sentrosi, WaCKaMole, Ladyknightshade1, Star Wars Geek71, Sentrosi, thefragile, Kent Frost, Senoir Franco, Darth Riven, Screwy Louie, eaglescout021606, Nina Sky and Taeniaea for all the nice comments. Sorry if I forgot anyone, thanks to you too!**

**Big thanks to the Alternate Anakin site, that originally hosted this story and got me started! **


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